Never Stop My Heart
by Twin Psychos
Summary: The World Championship is underway and the Winged Guardians are ready to shake things up a bit. But through the fun, the blading and the revival of emotions, darkness is hiding. Watching. Waiting. And it will be released... KaiOC, OCReiOC, MaxOC, TalaOC
1. Championship or Bust!

**Never Stop My Heart**

**By Mishi-chan**

**Disclaimer: I do not own BeyBlade in any way, shape, or form. I do own Tenshi, but MuraSakura owns Sakura, my partner in crime Twin Psychos owns Kaze, and Invisible Love owns Hiniku.**

**A/N: Hello, readers. I know must of you tend to skip this part and jump straight into the story, figure out if you really like this or not. But if you do read this, hear me out: this is an updated note and an updated, better edited version of the chappie I wrote half a decade ago. I can't completely re-write these chappies, but I can fix them. All I can say is even if you find flaws, keep reading. I can only hope my later words will grab you and keep you. Happy reading!  
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It was a beautiful day, the sun shining bright over the Japanese skies. Soft clouds hung gently in the crystal heavens. The day was tranquil and perfect to most, but to others, it had a rude awakening. In a small house on the outskirts of Kyoto, a young teenage girl lay fast asleep in her bed. The cocoa-skinned beauty had mid-back-length hair that was a dark coffee color. Crimson bangs framed her peaceful sleeping face as she inhaled and exhaled. The windows to the bedroom were completely covered by black curtains, revealing no light into the quiet room. All was silent except her soft breathing until…

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! Hut to! Hut to!" a voice burst into the room with the sound and attitude of a drill sergeant. The once sleeping female abruptly sat up in alarm, eyes wide and looking around frantically. Finally her eyes narrowed into a glare as they rested upon the female who's voice awakened her. Her friend had long chestnut hair that had angelic white tips and two icy-blue bangs that framed her pale, peach face. The girl's attire consisted of baggy, blue camouflage cargo pants and a sleeveless tank top that was white and bore a sapphire phoenix on the back. She had her hands on her hips where a silver belt lay lopsided on her hip. "Come on, rise and shine!" she commanded again. The female in bed glared darkly at her friend and adopted twin sister.

"TENSHI!" she yelled furiously as she leapt out of bed and at her early-bird 'sister'. The other girl, Tenshi as she was named, ran out of the room and into the hallway with her angry African-American friend in hot pursuit. Tenshi began to sprint down the upstairs hallway when the fuming teenager tackled and pinned her to the hardwood.

"Okay, okay, you win. Now get off of me! It's almost time to go!" Tenshi demanded from under the pressure of her once sleeping teammate's arm lock behind her back.

"Tell me why you woke me up and you better have a good excuse, Tensh," the African-American responded in an irritated growl. Tenshi got back up to her feet after she was released from the arm lock. Regaining her composure, the chestnut-haired teen crossed her arms with a huff.

"Well," Tenshi began, "while you were snoozing off in La-La Land, Sakura, our 'all-mighty' captain called for us." Tenshi finished with a tone that just oozed sarcasm. Sakura's eyebrow rose from her lessening glare.

"Kaze called?"

"Yep and we're going on a flight to Russia that leaves in a half hour," the younger female answered before walking across the hall to her own room. Pausing outside her doorframe, she looked back with a smirk and said, "So you better pack up fast!" And with that Tenshi closed the door behind her as her foster sister and best friend, Sakura, absorbed the new information. After a moment it finally hit her like a ton of bricks.

"CRAP!"

Screaming nonsense all the way, Sakura raced back into her room in a frantic, insane rush against time. Ten minutes later the duo was packed up and on their way to the Kyoto airport, a frantic Sakura at the wheel of the car and a very terrified Tenshi in the passenger seat holding onto her dear life. Upon reaching the airport, the two female teenagers raced through the lobby and airport security to get their departing ride to Russia, knocking over several elderly couples in the process. Panting and out of breath, Sakura and Tenshi reached the tunnel to their flight. The attendant flashed the smile that she gives everyone, the one that clearly says 'I-don't-care-about-you-but-I-have-to-smile-in-order-to-keep-my-job'.

"You two just made it in time, the plane is just about to take off. Your tickets please?" she inquired. Exhaustingly, Tenshi took out the two tickets and handed them over tiredly. They took their seats on the aircraft and a moment later the plane took off high into the atmosphere. Slumping down into her seat, Tenshi groaned.

"Remind me to never let you drive ever again," Tenshi complained, her heart still thumping in her chest from Sakura's maniacal driving. Sakura, now fully dressed in her usual attire, crossed her arms across her chest.

She had on a purple shirt that covered three quarters of one arm and left the other arm bare, a violet flower pinned to the top of the sleeveless side. The shirt had a gold lining and the whole hem was that glittery shade. Her black jeans were slightly baggy with silver chains hanging 'innocently' at her side through two of the belt loops and a white tiger picture on her left pants leg. Her black and purple Etnies hardly contrasted to Tenshi's predominantly black and white DC Travelers with light ocean blue lining and insignia.

"Get over it. Until you actually get your own license, you're stuck with my driving, little sis," Sakura prompted with a grin. It was now Tenshi's turn to cross her arms with an irritated glare.

"A) I'm only slightly shorter than you, B) You're only a few months older, we were born in the same year, Idiot, and C) Shut-up," Tenshi spat back to her 'sister'. Sakura laughed and looked out the window of her seat across from Tenshi.

Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to have gone off in Sakura's brain as she whirled quickly to face the chestnut-haired teen. "Tenshi?" She questioned. The before-mentioned teen looked back at her in acknowledgment, "Why are we going to Russia?" Tenshi just pulled out her IPod and smirked, her eyes dancing with excitement.

"Because we are going to the Beyblading World Championships."

**N E V E R**

Several hours later in the Moscow airport, a certain Russian Beyblader was waiting in the airport lobby. Tala was standing up, facing the crowd of arrivals, searching for a certain blue-haired teammate. His wait was quickly over when Kai came sauntering coldly out of the sea of people, his black duffel bag hung over his shoulder lazily. Tala approached the stoic male. For a moment they stood there before shaking hands as a sign of a greeting, Tala thinking about the irony of it all, a smirk apparent on his features.

At his first World Championship four years ago, it was him who didn't want Kai on the team and now he was the one who wanted him back on the team, let alone was friends with Kai. Ironic, no?

"Ready to blade?" Tala asked simply, smirk still evident. Kai nodded his head with a grunt, still with his usual cold exterior. Tala turned to leave, then turned back at Kai to see if he was coming when his eyes widened in a very rare emotion for him: fear. Confused and with an eyebrow raised, Kai looked behind him to see two teenage girls, one with chestnut hair and the other with cocoa skin, waving, smiling, yelling, and running happily in their direction. Right towards them. Only one word could escape Tala's lips as his he watched the girl's get closer and closer. "Fan girls!" he whispered in a shaky voice. The two teenagers got closer and closer, Tala braced himself, covering his head with his hands. Just as they were right in front of him, he felt a brush of wind go by him and then silence. Warily, Tala opened his eyes to see that they had run right past him towards another girl. Kai smirked at his friend and teammates' stupidity and as he walked by the redhead, the stoic male clamped a hand on Tala's shoulder.

"I think it's safe to say you've been dumped," Kai said, a hint of amusement in his voice. Then Kai continued on walking out of the lobby, a sour redheaded blader trailing behind him.

**S T O P**

Tenshi and Sakura stepped off the plane and into the lobby, their duffel bags in hand. As soon as they got past security, Tenshi dropped her bag and scanned the crowd, scratching her temple as she searched. "Okay, where is Kaze?"

"Isn't that the question on everyone's mind?" Sakura retorted to Tenshi's rhetorical question, earning a glare from her sister. Brushing the comment aside, Tenshi continued to look through the sea of people for their team captain. Suddenly, a large jolt shook her from her thoughts and search abruptly. "There she is!" Sakura screamed into her ear as she waved to their friend in the distance. Picking up her bag and a wide smile on her face, Tenshi followed Sakura as the crimson banged teen ran yelling happily through the immense (and now utterly disturbed) crowd. Tenshi followed her teammate, almost bumping into a vaguely familiar redhead.

Upon reaching Kaze, she was out of breath, but very excited. Before her stood their friend and team captain, Kaze Minakotsa. She was also taller than Tenshi but about the same size as Sakura. Long black hair with moonlit silver streaks cascaded down her back, her eyes matching with the same moonlit color. Kaze bore a black jacket over a red shirt, her jacket bearing a winged white tiger similar to the one on Sakura's pants leg. Her dark blue jeans covered her long, muscular legs. It wasn't long before Sakura, and her overzealous attitude of the moment, tackled Kaze with a monstrous hug. "KAZE!"

Kaze let out a strangled yell as they almost fell to the floor. Squirming out of her friends grasp, Kaze stepped away from her friend, only to be hugged again by Tenshi, just less ferociously. After being released from her two friends and teammates, Kaze looked back at them with a small smile. " Nice to see you too. How long has it been since I've seen you again?"

"Um…let's see… 5 months!" Tenshi blurted out with a friendly irritation in voice. Kaze sweatdropped and rubbed her hand against the back of head hesitantly.

"Oh, yeah. That would be because since the last tournament, I've been in China," Kaze responded nervously, afraid slightly of the wrath of Sakura and Tenshi. Tenshi set down her bag and put her hands on her petite hips.

"Um, yeah! Honestly, didn't you have e-mail out there in the middle of nowhere?" Sakura added, picking from Tenshi's rant. The icy-blue banged teen nodded in agreement. Kaze looked uncertainly at the two. One yelling was bad, but things could get ugly if both of them ganging up together. Before Kaze even had the time to think of a response, another familiar voice suddenly appeared, a petite figure popping up behind her.

"HELLO? Don't I get any greetings?" the figure said. Kaze turned around to face her, averting Sakura and Tenshi's eyes as well to the new arrival. She was a thin female of obvious Korean ethnicity. Her raven black hair reached down shortly after her shoulders, thin blonde highlights lightening the hair color slightly. Her attire consisted of baggy black pants, plain white tank top that bore a yin-yang symbol in the center, black arm warmers and a white headband. Although she was the second eldest of the three, she was about the same size of Tenshi.

Sakura smiled at their last teammate, throwing herself with another hug at the teen. "Of course you do, Hiniku!" the cocoa-skinned beauty yelled, once again arousing stares from the passerby. Tenshi looked around nervously at the stares.

"Um…don't mind her. She has ADHD. Just continue on your way, please," Tenshi said to the onlookers, putting her hands in protest and a sweat drop seemingly permanently stuck to her head. Little did she know, the certain before mentioned female had come behind Tenshi, glaring holes into the back of her sister's head.

"Excuse me? ADHD? TENSHI!" Sakura screamed again, just as she was about to lunge for the younger girl, a voice cried out and stopped her.

"Quit it you two. If I remember correctly, we have a Championship to win," Kaze said with a small smile, knowing that would get them back on track. Exactly as she had hoped, Tenshi turned her attention back to her captain in a flash and Sakura stopped her assault. Tenshi pumped her fist into the air as Hiniku, Kaze, Sakura, and she walked out of the airport and into the streets.

"Yes! World Championship, watch out! The Winged Guardians are gonna take this tournament by storm!"

**M Y**

After wandering the Russian streets for while, the group of girls finally found their way to the designated hotel that Mr. Dickinson reserved rooms for all the teams at. Tiredly, the girl's trudged into the hotel lobby and dropped their bags. "It's freezing out here!" the Korean named Hiniku yelled, rubbing her hands against her bare arms. Tenshi turned to glare at her.

"Hey, why are you complaining? You have arm-warmers on, remember? I've got nothing! ZIP! ZAP! ZADA!" the chestnut-haired girl retorted to her Asian friend.

"So? I don't have as much body fat to keep me warm!"

"Are you calling me fat?"

"Yes, I'm calling you fat!"

Tenshi let out a gasp of shock. "You're a meanie butt!" Hiniku just dismissed it with a wave, looking the other direction.

"Whatever," Hiniku said nonchalantly. Tenshi turned the other direction and crossed her arms, a pout evident on her face. Sakura and Kaze just stared at the two with embarrassment, a sweatdrop on each of their heads. And they probably would've stayed that way if a masculine voice hadn't interrupted the little scene.

"Seriously? They're arguing about who's colder. What a bunch of losers," the voice laughed, causing Sakura's blood to boil. She whipped around to see a young male, about the same age, maybe a year older. He had black raven hair that was pulled back into a bushy ponytail; his attire consisting of baggy pants a jacket that revealed his six-pack. Sakura's eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Excuse me? Whom do you think you are to talk about my friends like that?" the tiger-like female scolded, her fists clenched in anger. By this time, Kaze had turned around and Hiniku and Tenshi had stopped their little dispute to stare at the scene unfolding before them. The black-haired teen just scoffed with a smirk on his face.

"I'm just speaking the truth. No need to get so riled up," he retorted, still showing no remorse. Sakura began to stomp her way over to the male until a new face appeared beside him.

"Lee, what are you doing?" Rei asked his friend, stepping up next to him and scanning the sight before him, noticing a very angry female who looked ready to pound Lee into dust. Rei looked at Lee again, his face sterner. "Lee, are you trying to cause trouble with our competitors?" A shocked face flashed over Lee's expressions before he chocked out a laugh.

"Are you serious Rei? These GIRLS are one of the teams in the tournament?" Lee asked bemusedly, a baffled expression devouring his face. Sakura's face grimaced in anger as she took another threatening step towards the Chinese blader before being held back by Tenshi, Hiniku at her side watching the whole situation, and Kaze stepping up beside the rest of her team on the other side of Sakura. Rei suppressed the groan that surfaced within his throat.

"Yes, they are," Rei answered patiently to his life-long friend. Lee looked back and forth between his team captain and the girls with a bewildered expression before a smirk snaked its way back onto his smug face.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter. Being the first all-girl team in the BBA doesn't mean they're not losers. Sorry ladies, but girls just aren't cut out for this sport. Go try out for cheerleading instead." And with that, Lee strode away from the group and out of the lobby towards the elevator. As soon as he was out of sight, Sakura let out a loud, exasperated groan of irritation.

"Who does he think he is? CHEERLEADING? I'll die before that happens!" Sakura ranted, pulling strands of her own hair out in frustration. Hiniku began to laugh at her insane, yet ever-common reaction to his comment. Tenshi just seemed to be trying to glare holes through the elevator in which Lee disappeared through while Kaze just sighed and smiled weakly at her friends' very different responses. Rei shook his head slightly in disapproval before returning back to the girls.

"I'm sorry about Lee, he can get a little… too confident sometimes. I'm sure he meant no harm through his words," apologized the Chinese blader, embarrassed of his friend's behavior. At the sound of his voice, Sakura stopped her rant and just stared at him. He was definitely cute by her standards, with his long raven black hair and Chinese ethnicity. Rei looked at Sakura ruefully. " I hope you'll forgive him, he's just excited about another tournament." Seeing that his 'totally hot' voice directed at her, a small blush crept its way to Sakura's cheeks… that is, until his gaze became directed at Kaze. "You're Kaze, right? We met at the Team Captain's Meeting last week if I recall correctly," Rei asked kindly. Kaze's eye brightened as he spoke to her.

"Yeah, that's right. And you are Rei, I remember that much. That's probably all I remember from the meeting," Kaze confessed truthfully, rubbing her hand against the back of her head. Rei let out a soft laugh that just rang happily through Sakura's ears. Little did she know, it also rang happily in Kaze's ears.

"Yeah, well, I better be getting back to the team. I hope to see you all during the tournament, and good luck!" Rei bid goodbye. He smiled one more time at them before trailing off towards the elevator. Once Rei had left, Kaze and Sakura turned to each other furiously.

"Back off, he's mine!"

The two yelled at once, both realizing that the other liked him. As they began to argue back and forth, Tenshi and Hiniku walked over to the front desk. "Hello, ma'am. We called ahead for a reservation for four, The 'Winged Guardians'," Tenshi said politely, her upbringing shining through. The blonde at the front desk turned to her computer and smiled, obviously looking up the reservation. A moment later, her face changed to a frown as she looked back at the girls.

"I'm sorry, but there is no such reservation."

Tenshi's mouth hung open with a confused look on her face as Hiniku's face just screamed in disbelief

"What? Are you sure? Please check again? Pwetty pwetty pwease!" Hiniku screamed at the receptionist, not believing what she was hearing. The blonde just merely shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I've already checked twice. There is, or was, no such reservation at this hotel."

Tenshi's mouth still hung wide open in shock when a light bulb suddenly went off inside her head. Her eyes narrowed into a glare as she pivoted on her heel to turn back to her arguing friend. "Kaze!" The summoned teen looked up to see a fuming Tenshi coming towards her. "Kaze, did you make the reservations when I told you to this morning?" she asked in false patience, her clenched fist shaking in irritation. Kaze's face lit up.

"Of course I did! I got off the phone with you, then I packed my bag, grabbed the phone to call…" Kaze's eyes lit with realization, "…and then called the dry-cleaner's for my jacket." The forgetful teen confessed with a sweat drop. There was a pause after that, a moment of silence amongst the group before…

"You idiot!"

Kaze screamed as Tenshi lunged viciously at her. She continued to yelp as Tenshi chased her out of the hotel, a vein popping as if to show her annoyance. Hiniku looked at Sakura with a wide smile on her face.

"Wow! It's good to be back together, isn't it Sakura?"

Sakura smiled at the Korean happily. "Yeah Hiniku." She looked back at Tenshi chasing their team captain up and down the Russian street. "It sure is!"

**H E A R T**

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**A/N: And there's the first chappie! It's not much folks, but it'll have to do. I had fun writing this, it's been a loooooong time since I've written anything, and I'm happy to be back. I'm sorry if Lee seemed a little off to you hard-core fans, but that's how he was a little in the manga and he is like that in the original anime too, so, yeah. So you've read, hopefully enjoyed, and now… review! :]**


	2. Corridor and Suite Madness!

**Never Stop My Heart**

**By Mishi-chan **

**Disclaimer: I do not own BeyBlade, but I do own Tenshi, MuraSakura owns Sakura, Twin Psychos owns Kaze, and Invisible Love owns Hiniku.**

**MuraSakura- Yes, I know I'm evil, but get over it. You know I did it all good-naturedly… I think… . … . **

**Kaze- Thank-you, you Slave driving, lazy bum!**

**Hiniku- Thank-you SOOO much! I can really tell you like it. This just shows how well I know you all, and how stupid you can be if you want! . **

**This chappie is dedicated to my bestest buddy, Invisible Love, because of her enthusiasm for this story. THANK-YOU! Also, it's dedictaed to Solitairesilvercat for putting this on her alert list! THANK-YOU! BUT PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Note to readers: Okay, I know people are reading this story. I can tell by the hits, but please, PLEASE REVIEW! I need feedback! I know it's such a hassle in your eyes because you're just the reader, right? WRONG-O! You're input means something to me, so TELL ME! For the sake of Kai-kun, Rei-kun, Max-kun, and Tala-san, REVIEW! …That is all.**

**Now, ONTO THE SECOND CHAPPIE! (P.S. Baka means stupid!)**

**N E V E R**

"Ya know, Kaze, you are SO lucky Mr. D was able to pull through with a suite for us!" Tenshi nagged slightly irritated, plopping backwards onto the soft bed behind her. Sakura released a sigh and shook her head while dropping her purple duffel bag onto the bed next to her sister's.

"We get the idea, Tensh. Now DROP IT!" the African-American female deadpanned with a worn look on her face. The icy-blue banged teen had been getting on Kaze's case for the past hour as Mr. Dickinson, the chairman of the BBA, worked with the hotel management to get a suite for them. Muttering a "fine" under her breath, Tenshi walked out of the room into a kitchen/living area where Kaze sat on the couch, mesmerized by the high definition of the T.V. channels. Hiniku sat bored next to her, reading a new book she got before she left her home in Korea. After grabbing a bottle of Orange Gatorade from the fridge, Tenshi looked back to see their 'oh-so-reliable' team captain poking the T.V. warily, repeating over and over how it was 'Shiny!' and it had 'Lots of buttons!'. Walking over to them, the chestnut-haired girl looked at her friend in utter dismay while shaking her head.

"Oh geez, and how did you became team captain again?" she asked Kaze with a sigh. Immediately, the before-mentioned teen stood up happily.

"BECAUSE I beat you at a round of SoulCaliber II!" Kaze answered happily, getting a groan in response from Tenshi. Sakura came out their room a moment later happily, running across the room to plop down onto the couch… crushing Hiniku in the process. Muffled yells could be heard from the Korean as she felt her bones be crushed under her friend's weight. Realizing Hiniku was being crushed, Sakura moved over to relieve the pain on her friend.

"Ow! Sakura, you're as heavy as a hippo!" Hiniku screeched at the African-American teenager next to her, waving her hands to exaggerate her point. A look of shock crossed before it was replaced by anger. Seemingly out of nowhere, a very large and very deadly frying pan appeared in Sakura's hands, with a menacing glare on her face.

"Excuse ME? What did you say?!" she growled inching closer and closer to the shorter girl in anger. With a yelp Hiniku got up and ran around the room, with Sakura in hot pursuit. Tenshi just stood there laughing her butt off and Kaze sat back down onto the couch, a bowl of popcorn in hand, neither bothering to help their Korean friend. There was a loud " WHAM!" as Hiniku ran into the door that leads out of the suite. Not bothering to see how close Sakura was on her tail, Hiniku threw open the door and ran down the hallway screaming. Not caring where the chase took her, Sakura followed her and realizing it was getting embarrassing and out of hand, Tenshi followed the duo out of the suite. Kaze just shrugged her shoulders before returning back to the T.V. Program.

Meanwhile: In the Hotel Hallway…

Hiniku, still in the lead of the whole chase, sprinted down the hallway, narrowly avoiding whacks from Sakura's freakishly huge frying pan. Seeing two figures in the near distance, Hiniku sprinted faster towards them. She grabbed the back of one of the guy's shirt and hid behind him, knowing full-well Sakura wouldn't hit a random bystander… most of the time. Sakura, just as planned, stopped in front of the young redheaded man and forced a fake sweet smile. "Hiniku," she beckoned, her 'sweet' voice dripping with annoyance, "Release him and come out."

Finally caught up to the two maniacs, Tenshi bent over for a short moment to regain her breath. Looking back up, her chocolate drop eyes widened at the sight of the familiar faces she had seen so many times on the news. His arms crossed against his chest, Tala glanced coldly back and forth between Hiniku and Sakura. Kai stood next to him with their duffel bags, his usual emotionless face with the exception of the quirked eyebrow above his right eye. Gently slapping herself in the forehead and wiping her hand down her frustrated face, Tenshi mentally cursed herself for letting the duo escape the hotel suite. Regaining her remaining composure, Tenshi walked over to the young men and between Sakura and Tala, where Hiniku hid behind. Rolling her eyes, she looked first at Sakura.

"Okay, first off: YOU!" Tenshi started, pointing to Sakura, "Go back to the room, along with that maniacal weapon of yours." Taking one accusing look at Hiniku (who stuck out her tongue in retort from behind Tala), Sakura trudged back to the room, lugging her weapon on the ground her. Seeing as one was taken care of, Tenshi then shifted her gaze towards the hiding Hiniku, catching her with her tongue out. "And YOU," she continued commandingly, grabbing Hiniku's attention. "Go back to the room as well. MARCH!" Tenshi finished, pointing a finger down the hallway boldly as to lead her in the right direction. Rolling her eyes defiantly and letting out a groan, Hiniku came out of hiding in the Russian Beyblader's shadow and walked down in file after Sakura.

Tenshi looked back at them wearily in embarrassment, running her hand through her long chestnut hair before stopping her hand on top of her head. After all, two of her best friends just cornered one of the top International Beybladers and almost whacked him with a frying pan. Who wouldn't be embarrassed? And all the while Tenshi had been commanding orders, Kai couldn't help but look at the newcomer. After all, if he recalled correctly, Tala had thought she was a fan girl at the airport earlier that day. The girl seemed to be average size, not too tall, but not too short, her arms holding some muscle definition. She seemed to be fit and healthy; not anorexic skinny, but not huge like an elephant, and having done some training for some kind of physical sport. A moment later, the female teen looked back at them, a nervous expression and a discomforted blush apparent slightly on her peach complexion.

"Hi," she started shakily, obviously humiliated in some sense. "I'm Tenshi Hikari. I'm really sorry about those two bakas. They can be a handful at times and I'm sorry you got involved," Tenshi introduced and apologized to Tala directly before directing her gaze at Kai as well. Tala grunted his response before grabbing his bag and brushing rudely by Tenshi, knocking her back a step. Shaking her head in annoyance and narrowing her eyes at him, Tenshi then looked back at Kai shyly. "Well, once again, I apologize for my friends' behavior." And with that Tenshi raced off down the hall back towards her room, but not before turning back to look at Kai once more with a small smile. "Oh, and good luck in the Championship!" Kai just stared blankly down the hall as she raced back to her room, kicking her door angrily before someone finally answered and let her in. Shaking off her comment, Kai lugged his bag over his shoulder and ambled down the hallway after his redheaded teammate…

**S T O P**

Finally allowed entrance into the suite, Tenshi stomped in frustrated, closing the door behind her and leaning against it with a sigh. A small silence followed after, but not before two familiar faces popped up in her face. "TENSHI!" Hiniku and Sakura shrieked as they shoved their faces near her. Tenshi opened her eyes with a yelp, two pairs of eyes staring back at her. The two girls began shooting questions at Tenshi at a million questions per minute, each shoving their faces closer and closer to Tenshi's and each question along the lines of "What did you say to them?" and "You flirted with them, didn't you?". Easily becoming irritated with the two's insane questions and pestering, she lashed out.

"SHUT-UP!" Tenshi yelled in their faces, her eyes closed in anger. Hiniku and Sakura immediately became quiet, and Kaze aroused abruptly from her nap on the couch, popcorn flying everywhere. Shooting a glance at Kaze, then back at her other friends, Tenshi bowed her head in a sigh, running her hand through her hair again. "I'm sorry guys, I guess jet lag's getting to me. No, I did not flirt with them, yes I agree, they were cute, and lastly yes, I'm embarrassed by the fact two of my best friends almost got one of the BBA's top Beyblader's whacked with a freakishly large frying pan," Tenshi stated, choosing to answer some of their ridiculous inquiries. Tiredly, Tenshi walked into the back bedroom and flopped down on her bed by the balcony. Hiniku and Sakura watched as she had walked past them. Then they looked back at each other furiously, yelling the same thing simultaneously.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"MY FAULT? IT WAS YOURS!"

"NU-UH!"

"YEA-HUH!"

The two continued to argue before two pillows flew by and hit each of them in the head. Whipping around, they saw Tenshi standing in the doorway with two more pillows in hand. "What part of 'shut-up' don't you two understand?" she asked wearily, looking at the two of them. The loud duo looked back at each other before looking back at Tenshi, sticking their tongues out at her in defiance. Tenshi rolled her eyes with a smile at the childlike nature of her friends. Suddenly, a light bulb went off inside Kaze head as she abruptly stood up from her seat on the couch, alerting the rest of the team of her presence.

"I JUST REMEMBERED SOMETHING!" Kaze started, a certain bliss in her eyes from the fact she actually remembered something important. "While you all were in the hallway, Mr. Dickinson called to tell us to be at the arena fifteen minutes early for the opening ceremony. He says he needs to run us through everything since we're the new team," Kaze stated cheerfully before flopping back down onto the couch with the remaining bit of popcorn she had left. Checking the time on the clock on the wall, Sakura saw that it was getting late. Well, late if you had to get up early the next day and blade. Yawning, Tenshi took her leave and lay back down on her bed sleepily. But before drifting off to sleep, she wearily took a picture frame out of her bag and laid it on the nightstand next to her. A picture of a happy, four-person family smiled back at her. One glance at the picture made her smile before easing her worries of the coming day and helping her fall fast asleep…

**M Y**

The sun rose early the next morning on icy Russia, spreading light to the country, though no warmth reached the cold ground. Awaking slowly with the dawn of a new day, Tenshi arose quietly from her bed, careful not to rouse her African-American sister across the room. After showering and getting dressed for the coming day, she stepped into the kitchen. She stood in the miniature kitchen for a moment just staring at the 'fridge and the oven/stove before releasing a small sigh with a meek smile. Preparing to make breakfast omelets, the pale teen grabbed a smaller, less dangerous frying pan than the one used the day before. A small giggle escaped her throat as she recalled the moment when she caught Hiniku hiding behind Tala and Sakura holding a vicious frying pan dangerously close to both of them.

Her eyes softened slightly at the thought of the other male present. She had secretly always looked up to Kai in a role-model-like way. His bladeing style, power, dominating presence and basically everything about him amazed her time after time. The way he could just strike fear into anyone's heart by just a glance... Shaking away her thoughts, Tenshi looked back at the stove determinedly, making sure not let her focus stray too far. Reaching into the refrigerator, she grabbed several eggs. After all, she had several omelets to make. A while later, by the time the sweet smell of homemade cooking had aromatized the air in the suite, a very sleepy Sakura walked wearily into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Morning," Sakura yawned briefly, taking a seat at the counter behind the stove. With her bright, early bird smile, Tenshi looked behind quickly to greet the teenage girl.

"Morning, Dork!" the icy-blue banged female greeted happily, obviously in a good mood. Hardly affected by the insult (as she was use to it), Sakura just jadedly poked her tongue out at her in retort. Smirking at the African-American's predictable response, Tenshi just grabbed the nearest plate next to her and placed it in front of Sakura, hot steam rising from the heat. "Breakfast, sleepy head! A bacon, steak, and cheese omelet!" she said quite blissfully. Grabbing a fork hungrily, Sakura immediately started to devour the delicious treat.

A moment later a young Korean came out of her and Kaze's separate room stretching her arms tiredly, yawning a greeting before taking her place next to Sakura. Replying with the same greeting as earlier, Tenshi dropped a plate in front of Hiniku, the omelet oozing cheese and bacon. Taking a seat by them after cleaning up, Tenshi began to dig into her own cheese, sausage, and mushroom omelet. Breakfast passed with hardly any conversation, just a phrase here or there.

The clock on the wall by the bedrooms chimed as the hour hand landed upon the nine. A smirk snaked its way across Tenshi's face as she stood up from the table. Sakura and Hiniku froze. They knew that smirk. It was like a warning. And usually, someone got either pranked, tricked, and/or annoyed by what came to follow it. They had to be at the stadium by nine forty-five and Kaze was still sleeping ever so peacefully. That meant one thing: Kaze was about to receive a rude awakening.

Slipping quietly into the other bedroom occupied by her team captain, Tenshi crept to Kaze's bedside, a bottle of whip cream in hand. Using her creative talents for the forces of evil, the chestnut-haired teen began to go Picasso on Kaze's face, creating the image of a very angry Santa Claus made out of the fluffy cream. After putting the cap back on, Tenshi rolled the can under the bed silently, careful not to make a sound. She breathed in a long breath and leaned right over Kaze's ear…

"OH MY GOSH! AN ESCAPED TIGER!" Tenshi shrieked in phony distress. Immediately, Kaze awoke in alarm as she bolted upright. Kaze looked from side to side frantically in search of danger while shouting 'WHERE!'. Tenshi laughed her butt off at the priceless expression of fear and eagerness all rolled into one. After a few moments, it finally sunk in that there was no tiger. Calming down, Kaze narrowed her eyes into a light glare at Tenshi as she made her way into the kitchen. Stepping into the kitchen, a chorus of snickers and stifled laughter rang somewhat quietly. A quizzical eyebrow rose on Kaze's clearly confused face as she wondered what was SO funny. Coming out from the bedroom behind the puzzled captain, Tenshi also began to laugh, her laugh a little more open, causing Hiniku and Sakura to burst into a fit of hysterics. Finally getting the fact that they were laughing at HER, Kaze whipped around and jogged into the one bathroom, closing the door behind her. There was a silence that followed before an angry shout erupted from the bathroom.

"TENSHI!" Kaze shouted in anger as she whipped the door open with a glare, Santa Claus still looking as jolly as ever on her face. Tenshi's face contorted in fear as she turned and ran from the newly awakened female as Kaze chased after her. Under normal circumstances, Tenshi and Kaze were both good runners; actually, Kaze could easily run longer, but Tenshi knew her one flaw. Kaze's weakness. Dodging and weaving around the room, Tenshi finally ran to the security of her bedroom, not even bothering to close the door because she knew. She knew what would follow.

A loud "WHAM!" resounded through the rooms as Kaze ran straight into the doorframe. It was just like a cartoon. Kaze froze there against the frame for a moment from impact before falling straight backwards onto her back, little birdies flying around her head. If there was a weakness in their team captain it was this: Kaze's VERY disoriented in the mornings. VERY disoriented! Tenshi came out of the room and leaned against the doorframe, a smirk on her peach face.

"Are you done trying to kill me?" she started as Kaze stood up dizzily, "Because by now, you only have a half an hour to get ready to blade!" A confusion fogged Kaze's mind as she looked wearily at the clock, the clock reading nine fifteen. Kaze's eyes widened in shock as she let out a sound that resembled a scream. Racing back across the room, Kaze hurried to get ready, running into her own doorframe in the process before rushing back along. Tenshi just smiled happily at the familiar scene as Sakura cleaned up the remaining dishes and Hiniku just laughed at her friend. And thus it began.

One tournament.

One Championship title.

And one new team to shake things up a bit!

**H E A R T**

**And there you have it peoples! Yet another chappie of Never Stop My Heart! I know I don't really have anyone you know yet, but it's coming. I'm just getting through the exposition of the story. But I put Kai-kun and Tala in this one! . So, you've read, so REVIEW! PLEASE! I NEED FEEDBACK! BEWII!**

**Mishi-chan**


	3. FIRST ROUND! Part I

**Never Stop My Heart **

**By Mishi-chan**

**Disclaimer: I do not own BeyBlade in any way, shape, or form, but I do own Tenshi Hikari and whatever nonsense she may spout, Invisible Love owns Hiniku, Twin Psychos owns Kaze, and MuraSakura owns Sakura.**

**Note: In this, the story may refer some names or terms as they are in the original Japanese, so I spell Ray "Rei" and Strata Dragoon is referred to as " Gaia Dragoon" in this fic.**

**Another Note: In times like this, I may recommend a song for a certain part of the chapter. This time, I recommend listening to "Underdog" or " Rise Above The Storm" from BeyBlade (in English) for the second battle! (I won't tell you who's battling!)**

**N E V E R**

" You nervous?"

" No."

" I know you are!"

" No, I'm not."

" Yes you are!"

" Shaddup!" Sakura cried in frustration at Hiniku's constant pestering. Hiniku just grinned cheekily in response to Sakura's outburst. The groan that escaped Sakura's lips did not go unnoticed by her adopted sister. Placing a reassuring smile on her shoulder, Tenshi flashed Sakura a smile that could light up any dark alley.

" You're gonna be fine Saku-chan! You've been training on end for months. You're not a newbie anymore. You are a professional blader. Everything will be FINE!" the icy-blue banged girl assured her. Sakura grinned weakly back at her, the anticipation and anxiety dying down slightly. Slightly. The African-American teen had just been bladeing for about a year and here she was in the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP! It was still a bit unsettling. The team of four stood in a small-lit room underneath the stadium, waiting to be introduced when their little platform was to be raised. Their attention became focused as they heard the hush of the crowd above them and the sound of DJ Jazzman's voice boom through the air above, declaring the appearance of last year's champs, The BBA Revolution, among other familiar names. Sakura exchanged another look with Tenshi before she felt the floor beneath her begin to rise.

" Along with our usual competitors, we have a new team joining us this year! Everyone, please welcome… The Winged Guardians!" DJ finished with enthusiasm. The crowd cheered as the group of girls reached the stadium floor, cheering and smiling at the welcoming crowd. The spotlight honed in on each of them as they had their names called for the world to hear. " HINIKU! SAKURA! TENSHI! And their team captain: KAZE!" Hiniku grinned happily and waved wildly to the pleased multitude, Sakura smiled weakly with a blush at all of the sudden attention, and Kaze smiled weakly as well, seemingly uncertain of what to do. Tenshi on the other hand, didn't seem anxious or overzealous. She just stood to the side of the team, one hand on her hip, the other hanging limply at her side, and a lopsided smile on her pale complexion. Little did they know of the surprised reaction they were getting on the other side of the stadium.

Tala's eyes had flared at the sight of the three familiar female and one not-so familiar female that had just risen from the depths. _Wait, those bumbling idiots are our COMPETITORS? What has this tournament come to?_ The redhead thought to himself as the recollection of yesterday's events unfolded in his mind, his thoughts lingering on the freakishly large frying pan. Kai showed no reaction whatsoever on his cold features at the sight of the familiar faces, but his mind was the opposite. His crimson eyes zoned in on the chocolate-haired teen standing to the side of her team. Most of her attire was the same; the blue camouflage cargos with silver belt and white tank top bearing the sapphire phoenix were still in place, as well as her black and blue DC's. But on contraire to yesterday, her hair was pulled back into a bun that made her chestnut hair feather out, causing her angelic white tips to flair out and her icy-blue bangs still framing her joyful face. A tiny silver case was strapped to her upper right arm, making it obvious that was where she held her blade. Lastly, a blue choker was tied around the middle of her neck, a charm that resembled a winged star dangling at her throat.

_So, this is what she meant by "good luck", _Kai thought blatantly as the European favorite, The Majestics, were greeted by the easily satisfied fans. Meanwhile, Lee was shaking his head in hysterics, still in denial of **girls** bladeing in the Championship. Standing boldly, but humbly next to him Rei smiled over at the Winged Guardians, catching the eye of two of the teens. Sakura smiled back brightly, waving shyly at him where as Kaze grinned meekly at the neko-jin with a timid nod of her head in his direction. Realizing what the other was doing, Kaze and Sakura whipped around to glare at the other before turning back around to pout angrily. Tenshi shook her head sadly in embarrassment as Hiniku began to push her way in-between the two, pointing and laughing at their misery.

From afar, Max stood by his team, the All-Starz, and chuckled at the lively new team, his lips curling into that cute, cat-like smile of his. The blonde American could hear his teammate Rick groan at the sight of the new entrants, clearly underestimating them as most were. As this unnoticeable event of opinions and madness occurred, another team called The Fighting Dreamers arose from the depths. Everyone there recognized them as The Barthez Battalion from the previous Championship, but after disowning their twisted coach, Miguel, Claude, Aaron, and Mathilda had stuck together as a team and as friends, just changing the name to be more appropriate since Barthez was out of their lives forever. At last, all the teams refocused on the Beyblade "Referee", DJ, as he announced the last team.

" Now, ladies and gentlemen, let us introduce the last team of the morning and also another new team. Please welcome… The Shinigamiz! (A/N: It's pronounced shi-ni-ga-mee-z)" the young man announced as the final platform arose. Small gasps could be heard across the large arena as the only remaining team arose. On the platform were four cloaked figures, all seemingly males due to the height and stature of the figures. Each male was covered in a long black cloak that was hooded and pulled together by a small stream of chains. If they didn't know any better, everyone would've thought you were looking at members of Organization XIII from Kingdom Hearts Two. The hoods shadowed over their faces, so not a soul in the entire building could even glimpse their faces.

_Geez, wouldn't want to run into them on Halloween… or any other day of the year,_ Sakura grimaced inwardly, also thinking of how they were named after the harbingers of death seemed quite appropriate. Hiniku, on the other hand, was thinking about how they looked like they were on the run from the circus. The whole stadium remained quiet in an awkward silence. Clearing his throat uncertainly, Jazzman began to conclude with the opening ceremony.

" Well, everybody, um, that's it for the intros. And now if you would focus your attention to the screen above, we'll find who gets to blade first in the first round!" he said while regaining his forgotten composure. Easily done, the multitude of fans and bladers alike averted their gaze to the large screen on the wall above them to see various team names being shuffled through quickly like a deck of cards. At long last, the names began to slow down to reveal the match-ups for the first round. " The first round! Winged Guardians versus the three-time world Champions, The BBA Revolution!" Jazzman declared to the crowd's delight, announcing the match-up for the first round. The all-girls team looked over to their right to see their opponents. On the other Tyson was completely ignoring the females, scoffing arrogantly at the announcement.

" We're bladeing against a bunch of girls? What a waste of time. This round will be done in just a few minutes!" the cap-clad boy boasted with an air of egotism. A shorter boy with flaming red hair that stood beside him crossed his arms in agreement.

" Yeah, we'll have them crying for their mommies in no time at all!" Daichi bragged, as if being a miniature Tyson. Their coach, Hiro (Tyson's brother), Hilary, and Kenny just shook their heads sadly in shame as the egotistical duo began to go on and on about how weak their opponents were. Of course, the rest of the team weren't the only people to hear their claims. Sakura clenched her fists, and before they could stop her, she began to stomp over to the boys in a storm of anger. Tyson and Daichi paused from their laughter momentarily as they noticed the fuming crimson-banged female march over to them. For a moment Sakura just stood in front of the two as she tried to glare holes through their heads. But, that was impossible considering how **DENSE** the duo was. Tyson straightened up, rubbing a finger arrogantly under his nose with a smirk. (A/N: WHY DOES HE DO THAT!)

" Heh, coming over to go ahead and surrender? After all, that way you can save your blades while you still can!" Tyson scoffed in her face, that big smirk widening all the while. That did it.

" EXCUSE ME? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THAT YOU CAN GO ABOUT UNDERESTIMATING YOUR COMPETITION? THREE-TIME CHAMP, BIG WHOOP! AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, YOU ARE THE BIGGEST **_LOSER_** I HAVE EVER MET! AND NO, I'M NOT GIVING UP! IN FACT, I'M GONNA KICK YOUR HUGE EGO SKY-HIGH AND OUT OF THIS BUILDING! GOT THAT YOU LITTLE INGRATE?" Sakura exploded in his face, causing him to step back every sentence. Tyson's expression had swiftly changed to a look of pure terror as Sakura's wrath had come down upon him like fire and brimstone. He clenched his eyes close as the very ticked-off African-American pulled her arm back into a clenched fist. A gasp escaped Hiro, Hilary, Kenny, and Daichi's lips as they watched the scene unfold before them. It was as if everything were in slow motion. Tyson crossing his arms across his face. Sakura's fist flying towards his face. Just when there was supposed to be impact, there was silence. Slowly and cautiously, Tyson opened his eyes. He saw Sakura's fist just inches from his face, but it was covered… by someone else's peach hand. Sakura's cocoa orbs widened as looked to her side to see a very grim Tenshi holding back her punch. Staring coldly back and forth between the two teens, Tenshi pulled back Sakura's fist and released it as her hand became limp at her side.

" Sakura, chill, now! Save it for the match. And you!" Tenshi shifted her gaze towards Tyson, not even taking the time to say his name, " You deserved that hit. Shut-up and get ready to blade because if you don't, you are in for a very rude awakening!" The usually angelic teen rebuked calmly, but very coldly, her eyes narrowed into a glare. Pivoting on her heel, she walked off towards the locker rooms with an air of dominance. Sending one last glare at Tyson, Sakura followed her best friend to the locker rooms to await the upcoming match in a few short moments. Kaze and Hiniku followed in suite after Hiniku poked her tongue out at the boy irritably and Tyson, as well as the rest of the stadium, was left awestruck from the previous scene made. Following the cue left by the Winged Guardians, the rest of the teams began to file out to get ready for the upcoming matches. DJ Jazzman stood in the center of the room, a confused expression on his face before he began again.

" Well, folks, it seems that we have one heck of a match coming up! So just wait for a few minutes and we'll be starting the Annual BeyBlade World Championship!" He claimed happily, earning many cheers from the fans and spectators, the sight a few moments ago adding to the intensity of the forthcoming matches. Just as the team shrouded in black cloaks walked out quietly, the tallest member of the Shinigamiz looked back in the stadium and watched as Tenshi lead The Winged Guardians out of the room, a smirk snaking its way across his face as he walked into the darkness along with the rest of his team. _So we meet again, my little angel…_

**S T O P **

" Sakura, for the hundredth timetake a chill pill!" Tenshi nagged, also for the hundredth time as Sakura continued to pace back and forth across the locker room. Tenshi rolled her eyes as the crimson-banged teen continued to pace feverishly to and fro, her hormones on an emotional roller coaster as Sakura see-sawed back and forth between anxiety and determination. Sakura whipped her head around nervously to face Tenshi as she spoke.

" HOW! I just told the World Champion that I, a newbie, could beat him in the next round!" Sakura ranted aloud at the younger teen, causing her to lean back as Sakura shoved her face into her own. " Then again, I've been training long and hard for this Championship! I could kick that egotistical butt of his right out of the stadium!" Sakura suddenly declared with a fiery glint in her eye, her mood changing for the fifth time that minute. Tenshi hung her head between her knees agitatedly, giving up all hope. After all, never mess with the forces of nature… and the forces of nature have declared some females to have frequent mood swings!

" YEAH! You go out there and show'im how to blade, Sakura-kun!" Kaze egged on, not making the situation any better, but also causing it from getting any worse. Suddenly, a male voice rang out through the room through the locker room intercom.

" BBA Revolution and Winged, please prepare to step into the stadium."

The group of girls exchanged looks, some of worry and anxiety, but others of resolution and excitement. Standing up with a large grin, Kaze stomped one foot triumphantly towards the door.

" ONWARD TROOPS! TO THE CHAMPIONSHIPS!" Kaze declared randomly, erasing any doubt from Sakura's mind about the coming match. Together as a team, they could do this!

**M Y **

The sun was out and shining bright over the open-air Beyblading Stadium. Anxious and enthusiastic fans sat down in anticipation for the first match of the first round. No one knew who would win it. Some thought the Champs would clearly take it with ease, others cheered for the "Underdogs", The Winged Guardians. Only one thing was certain: they couldn't wait another second without bursting into a million pieces. As if on cue, DJ Jazzman stood on a platform in the center of the room, his microphone in hand. " And we're back folks! It's time for the moment you've all been waiting for: the first match of the Annual BBA World Championships! In this corner!" he gestured to the left corner of the stadium, " We have our returning champs: The BBA Revolution!" And with that, a shockingly serious Tyson and Daichi entered the arena followed by a frantic-looking Kenny and a pretty calm Hilary and Hiro. DJ rapidly rounded onto the other corner of the arena. "And in this corner, we have our first-time participants: The Winged Guardians!" On indication of them, the all-girls team walked fearlessly into the stadium and over to their bench. As soon as both teams were seated, one competitor came up from each team to the center platform where Jazzman stood. " First match! Daichi versus Hiniku!"

Hiniku smirked evilly at the midget redhead that stood across the plain red dish from her. " Ready to lose, Shortie?" the Korean blader asked challengingly, staring the fiery midget in the eye. Daichi just smirked right back, rubbing his index finger under his nose.

" We'll see about that! I'M gonna win this match! And don't call me Shortie!" he retorted rashly, confidence making his already huge ego swell. Suddenly, a light bulb must have gone off in Hiniku's mind because abruptly, she turned around to face her team with an excited expression plastered onto her face.

" HEY GUYS! I JUST REALIZED SOMETHING! I CAN FINALLY CALL SOMEONE SHORTIE!" the Korean shouted joyfully, ignoring Daichi's reply and remembering all those years ago when she was way shorter than anyone. The rest of her team burst out laughing at her sudden remark, also shouting cheers for Hiniku's happiness. Realizing it was time to get down to business, Hiniku turned back around to face a fuming Daichi, smoke literally coming out of his ears. Brushing his growls off as nothing, Hiniku swiftly reached into one of her many baggy pockets of her cargos to pull out her already loaded black and sky-blue launcher, her white blade loaded at the end of her gun-like launcher. Unlike Tenshi, the Korean's short highlighted hair was still down and resting shortly under her shoulder blades. She still wore her usual attire of ying-yang tank top and arm-warmers, but instead of a pure white headband, she bore a white headband that bore a winged light-blue and black yin-yang insignia. Smirk still on her face, Hiniku leaned back into a blader stance as Daichi pulled out his launcher and Jazzman began the countdown.

" THREE! TWO! ONE! LET IT RIIIP!" In unison, Hiniku yanked out her ripcord and launched her blade into the dish just as Daichi jumped into midair and launched his blade into the dish shortly after Hiniku's blade landed. Hiniku's white blade spun firmly in the center as Daichi's purple Gaia Dragoon circled it like a shark with its prey.

" GO, GAIA DRAGOON!" Daichi cried out with a fierce growl, calling upon his blade. The purple blade did as it was commanded and began to viciously ram into the white blade repeatedly in an unstoppable barrage of attacks. Hiniku struggled to push back against it as her own white blade was pushed dangerously close to the edge of the dish. Though back in the other locker rooms, little did they know that all other teams were watching this match, seeing if the new team really was up to snuff. In the Blitzkrieg Boys locker room, Tala watched the plasma screen in the room, intently watching the match. His icy sapphire orbs focused as a clip of Hiniku's determined glare at the dish was shown on screen. _Come on. Let's see what you really got. Prove that you're not just a worthless runt._ Tala thought coldly as a beat of cold sweat ran down Hiniku's slightly tanned Korean face. Almost just as he thought that, Hiniku let out a monstrous roar as her little white blade forced back Gaia Dragoon with a burst of immeasurable strength. Suddenly with the upper hand, Hiniku didn't let this little window of opportunity pass her by. The pure white blade began to put the purple beyblade under siege as it attacked from seemingly every direction. A growl escaped Daichi's lips as he lost control of the battle to Hiniku.

" ARGH! That's it! GAIA DRAGOON! GREAT CUTTER ATTACK!" Daichi commanded, the great and magnificent golden and purple dragon appearing out of his blade as he zoomed in for the final attack. Hiniku frowned slightly. _You want to end it fast, fine then. I'll end it!_

" INOCHI!" Hiniku finally called out her bit-beast. The fans sat on the edge of their seats to see her mysterious bit-beast. A great colorful light shone out of her blade as Inochi, as he was named, was released from his blade. Everyone gasped at the sight of the glorious beast. Inochi was a wolf-like bit-beast; it's fur black except for the yin-yang symbol on its forehead that glittered a sparkly white. Slowly, Inochi unfurled his wings, causing sparkles to fly about everywhere. His wings were that of a butterfly, beautiful and majestic, the different colors and patterns formed out of black, white, and a light blue. " Now Inochi! Sparkling Tempest!" Hiniku commanded of her partner. Just as Gaia Dragoon's Great Cutter attack was to hit Inochi, a large, glittering gale of wind, water and ice swirled around her blade dangerously, not only blocking his attack but also going onto the offensive too. The swirls of ice and water mixed as shards of crystals flew out of the storm in every direction, one particular shard slamming down straight by Gaia Dragoon's side. Knocked by the impact, the purple blade flew silently through the air as it landed unmoving outside the dish. A resonance of gasps echoed around the stadium. Daichi had lost. He had lost to a member of a supposedly "rookie" team. Jazzman just stared vacantly at the dish, as if he was seeing things before shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

" Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! First match goes to Hiniku and the Winged Guardians!" he proclaimed, the stands erupting into cheers. Joyfully, Hiniku reached out her hand to grab her blade from the dish, Inochi departing back into her blade. Before walking back to her team, Hiniku walked around the dish and leant out her hand to Daichi, who was now kneeling over his damaged, but not totaled blade. Seeing a tanned hand in front of him, Daichi looked up with wide eyes to see Hiniku's bright and cheerful face.

" Good match! Maybe we could face off again sometime Shortie!" Hiniku stated with a smile as she helped pull Daichi to his feet. Daichi nodded and shook her hand with a smirk.

" Maybe, but next time I'm gonna win," he replied to her suggestion, " And don't call me Shortie!" Daichi added as an after-thought. Hiniku playfully stuck out her tongue before skipping back over to the bench where her overjoyed teammates were waiting for her, greeting their victorious teammate with hugs, glomps, high-fives, and praise. After the claps and praises had died down a bit, Jazzman continued.

" All right then, will the next participants please come to the dish?" he asked of the two teams. From BBA Revolution, Tyson strode boldly up to the dish. Shooting worried look at her teammates, and them shooting reassuring looks back to her, Sakura nervously, but firmly walked up to the dish. A focused, hardened stare filled her cocoa orbs as she stood in front of the dish. Sakura's cocoa hair was also down, but held back by a purple bandanna with the sign of a winged cherry blossom on it. Her bare right arm pulled out her purple and black launcher that was shaped in a large cherry blossom, the parts in-between the petals forming into a grip for her hand, her mostly covered arm pulling a lilac beyblade out of the pocket of her chained black jeans. She pulled out her ripcord, the handle of the cord shaped like a purple rose, the ridges on the side shaped like thorns that are beautiful, but deadly. After slipping the unusual ripcord into the launcher, Sakura placed her beyblade onto the end of her launcher and stepped back into a similar stance to that of which Hiniku took. She looked down nervously at her foot position, perfecting it ever so slightly before releasing a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding.

" Okay Big-Shot, bring it on!" Sakura defied seriously, building up her confidence as she went along. Tyson smirked at the African-American before preparing his own launcher.

" He he, I intend to!" Tyson retorted boastfully, not even noticing the intense atmosphere around them. Back on the bench, Tenshi stared at her sister's back worriedly. This was her first REAL match. The first one that actually counted. Would she win? Would she choke? Will the stress be too much for her and…? Noticing the edginess in Tenshi's posture, Kaze put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

" Don't worry, Tenshi-kun. Sakura will be fine, even under the stress she's under. I'm sure she'll pull through for us!" Kaze encouraged the youngest teen, bringing a small smile back onto her pale complexion. She nodded to Kaze before looking back to the dish just in time for the countdown. Meanwhile, Sakura was having doubts of her own.

" THREE!"

_C'mon Saku, chill out! You can do this!_

" TWO!"

_It's just like practice! …Only harder._

" ONE!"

_Here goes nothing!_

" LET IT RIIIIP!" Sakura cried as she wrenched the ripcord out of her launcher as hard as she could, forcing the blade to fly out at an alarming rate. Tyson followed suite, launching his blade with a certain ferocity that helped him become World Champion. Sakura's lilac blade landed in the dish and began to circle around the red dish. Dragoon landed perfectly without a trace of default, spinning around the dish as well. Then it began! Dragoon sped up to Sakura's lilac blade and began viciously push, shove, and just plain assault it. Sakura clenched her teeth as she tried with all her might to push back Dragoon's mighty force on her blade. The lilac beyblade pushed back onto the white blade, causing a standstill in the center of the dish with sparks that flew every which way. Rei sat in the immense crowd, watching fascinated at the battle before them. His friend Lee sat jaded next to him, his eyes drooping out of pure boredom of the battle.

" Can we go now Rei? I don't see any point in staying for this battle. She's gonna lose, what's there to see?" Lee whined jadedly as Rei intently watched the ongoing battle. The pink-haired mop next to him known as Mariah put her hands on her hips and glared at her brother.

" What's wrong with girls bladeing!" Mariah asked angrily, her golden neko-jin eyes narrowing into a cat-like glare. Lee raised his hands to defend himself from his younger sister's wrath.

" Nothing wrong's with it. They're just…"

" Stupid?" Mariah interjected, sensing the hesitance in Lee's voice from not knowing quite the right word. A smirk came upon his arrogant face.

" Yep, that's the perfect word to describe them. Stupid!" the Chinese neko-jin replied cheekily. Rei turned away from the battle for a moment to frown at his two teammates.

" I'm not so sure about that you guys. There's something about them that's just…

" Stupid?"

" Different!" Rei interrupted crossly, cutting off the insults from his childhood friend. Lee was taken aback by Rei's response, glancing back and forth between Rei and the battle, Sakura and Tyson still going at it in a standstill. The raven-haired neko-jin looked away from Lee and back to the mêlée down in the dish. _Let's see what you girls are really made of…_

Meanwhile in the dish, Sakura was pushing herself to the limit of her patience as she forced her blade to thrust against Dragoon's mighty force, sparks flying each and every way. It also became apparent that Tyson was running low on patience. Scratch that. He just ran out. " ENOUGH! DRAGOON, GALAXY STORM!" Tyson commanded intensely at the top of his lungs. A familiar hurricane-like gale arose from his blade and swirled menacingly about. Sakura's poor lilac blade was drawn slowly into the eye of the storm, but there was calm in the eye. Instead, there were fierce winds and destruction.

" NO! KIBA! " Sakura cried out to her blade, pain searing through her heart at the sight of her blade being thrashed and demolished by Dragoon's storm. That was when she finally snapped. A determined glare rekindled the fire in her eyes as she focused on the hurricane. " KIBA!" she cried out again, " DARK PETAL DANCE!" For a moment, all was silent except for the angry howl of the wind. Then a bright lilac light shone brightly through the storm before forcing the storm to dissipate, purple petals circling about the orb of light like a bug. A similar glow radiated around Sakura as she glared resolutely at the battle. She threw her arms out to the side suddenly, the purple light and petals disappearing. Lo and behold, in the sky was yet another majestic bit-beast. Kiba stood proudly on his four paws, resembling a white tiger with purple stripes. A pair of deadly looking purple and black demon wings erupted from his back. Lastly, a flowered ying-yang sign was printed on the top of each of his paws. The large tiger roared a vicious snarl as he crouched, ready to attack at any moment. A smirk snaked its way across Sakura's face. The tables had finally turned. This was her chance. Her chance to show the world that Sakura Petela was indeed NOT a loser, and that the Winged Guardians are not a team to take lightly. " KIBA! Now, use TORA-LILY STRIKE!" Sakura ordered, using her final strike. The crouched demonic tiger suddenly began to leap and bound forward towards Tyson's Dragoon. The navy-haired blader's eyes widened as he saw the tiger leap forward.

" DRAGOON! GALAXY STORM! ONE! MORE! TIME!" Tyson quickly shouted in attempt to stop Kiba and end this battle. A large storm of dust and power exploded from the arena as the two attacks collided with a mighty fury. The wind and power pushed back the two bladers slightly. Sakura covered her face with her arms whilst Tyson stood firmly, trying to squint through to see the outcome. Finally, the smoke subsided and Sakura opened her eyes only to stare incredulously at the dish before her and Tyson. Jazzman looked back and forth between the two bladers and the dish before taking up the microphone.

" Well, folks, it seems that our winner today is…"

**H E A R T**

**There you have it folks. Who do you think won the battle? Did Sakura pull through? Did Tyson win again? Why am I asking you these questions? Only I and a few select ppl) know the truth! So please ppl, seriously, review or I might have to stop writing this story. I've got a good feel of it, I know the characters, but if obviously no one likes it… shrugs. So, please, for the sake of the story, review. I know you people read this story, I have a LOT of hits, but if none of you review, what can I do? I! NEED! FEEDBACK! So, if you could just push the little button and type a small review for mesa, I would gratefully appreciate it. BEWII!**

**Mishi-chan**


	4. FIRST ROUND! Part II

**Never Stop My Heart**

**By Mishi-chan**

**Disclaimer: I do not own BeyBlade in any way, but I do own Tenshi and any nonsense she may spout, Invisible Love owns Hiniku, MuraSakura owns Sakura Petela, and my partner in crime owns Kaze Minakotsa.**

**A/N: I'm back again. In case you all didn't know, I do allow anonymous reviews. As for those who review for my chappies, thank-you very much. It's greatly appreciated. Also, I'm SO sorry that I haven't updated! Life has a way of being a pain in the butt, doesn't it? But now I have a guide and outline, so I now I know what the heck is going on myself. So hopefully you all will still review and then I will keep typing. Well, onward!**

**Side Notes: I would like to inform you all that this story takes place in the time after the G-Revolution series. I didn't know if that had been made clear, but now it is. Also, for my readers who are NOT fans of BeyBlade, just of my writing, then I suggest that you have the official BeyBlade website open to its Blader section for this chappie because some parts have lesser known characters and I didn't describe them due to their small part. So my friends: LOOK UP THE CHARACTERS IF YOU WANT TO FULLY GET IT! And some characters are not on the site, so you might have to look elsewhere, like Absolute Anime dot com or Google.

* * *

**

"Well, folks, it seems that the verdict today is… A TIE! We have a tie here today!" Jazzman exclaimed in an awestruck declaration. Sakura's eyes widened as she saw that her blade fallen into a piece of rubbish. The navy-haired male across from her also stared fish-eyed at the cracked dish where his blade lay unmoving and worn. The crowd gaped in utter silence and shock, but none more so than a certain neko-jin…

"SHE TIED?!?" Lee yelled in astonishment, his golden orbs the size of softballs. Rei chuckled softly to himself, the sound like a purr. Lee just slumped down into his seat, crossing his arms and grumbling to himself under his breath as Mariah shook her head in shame of her brother's behavior. "Pfft! Beginner's luck!" he snorted again, still in denial. Ignoring his teammates childish behavior, Rei focused back onto the stadium where a certain African-American female was celebrating happily along with her team.

_Good job, Sakura. Way to knock Tyson down a notch!_

…

"I tied! I really tied!!" Sakura excitedly cheered while running over to her team. The rest of the Winged Guardians greeted her happily as they did Hiniku, patting her on the back and barraging her with high fives. She turned back at the dish and yelled, "HA! Beat THAT, World **CHUMP**!" From the other side, anyone could see as Hilary slap herself in the forehead, and if they could read lips, see her commenting on how Sakura was just as bad as Tyson or Daichi. Caught up in the moment, Sakura had forgotten about her blade. Happily, Sakura looked down into the palm of her hand to smile at her blade when instead she let out a gasp of shock. Her blade was in her hand all right, but it was damaged and chipped into a state of wreckage. The attack ring was almost completely gone and the base of her blade was chipped beyond restoration. "NO! My blade! Kiba!" she let out in despair, her eyes saddening at the sight of her beyblade. A peach hand reached into her palm and inspected it with careful eyes. Tenshi looked at the blade thoroughly before glancing again at Sakura.

"Kiba will be fine. It'll take me all night, but I can repair it," Tenshi stated in an exhausted tone of voice, smiling weekly at her sister. Sakura smiled brightly at her with a sparkle of thanks in her eyes.

"Arigatou, Tenshi-chan! But… is Tyson really that strong? To be able to do this to my Kiba?" Sakura asked with an uncertain look in her cocoa eyes. Tenshi nodded her head grimly.

"He's not the World Champion for nothing Sakura. You're lucky he didn't totally dismantle your blade." Tenshi scolded at her sister. Sakura stole another glance at the egotistical male across the stadium, who was currently being yelled at by the brown-haired cheerleader they called "Hilary". Since the two bladers had long-since returned to their benches, Jazzman took up the mike once again.

"All right, it's time for the final third battle! If the Winged Guardians win this last battle, they will win the match! Will the last two bladers please step up to the dish?" Taking one last glance at her teammates, Hiniku hopped confidently up to the dish, being the winner of the first round. There was a moment of discussion from the BBA Revolution side before Tyson strode back up to the dish boldly in false bravado. Though he was still very confident that he would win, Tyson had obviously been taken down a peg or two. "It seems the BBA Revolution is pulling out all the stops because they have sent back up the Champion, Tyson!" Jazzman announced as his fans whooped and cheered eagerly. Hiniku once again pulled out her blade and stepped back into blader stance, Tyson mirroring the same actions with his own, slightly scratched blade. And thus the countdown began again, for the last time.

"3!"

Hiniku clenched her teeth in concentration as she focused on the dish with a fire of determination in her eye. She had to win. She had to prove that girls could blade; that her team could win it all. That they were NOT weak!

"2!"

Tyson tightened the grip on his launcher as the countdown continued. If he lost this last match, that would be it! His team would lose the first match AGAIN, they would lose to a team of GIRLS, and he would have lost and tied to a group of rookies. One thing was for sure: for the sake and dignity of his title, Tyson was not about to lose!

"1! Let it RIIIIP!"

That was it. The moment of truth as the two bladers yanked their ripcords out of the launchers and their blades cut swiftly through the air and into the dish. Hiniku and Tyson's blades circled around each other, every moment or so clashing with sparks as bright as the sun. A smirk snaked its way across Hiniku's lips. The match wouldn't take much longer now, not after what Dragoon's already gone through…

For a few more moments, the two blades danced about each other, a spark here or there. The BBA Revolution sat on their bench, completely puzzled. "I don't get it Chief. Why hasn't she attacked or anything? It looks like she's waiting for something to happen," Hilary commented to their team "expert", Kenny. He looked up from his laptop momentarily to respond to her.

" I know; she's taking this match way too calmly. What she's waiting for, I just can't seem to figure out! Tyson's blade appeared fine aside from a few scratches and she doesn't seem to be saving up her energy. So, to tell you the truth, I really have no idea what's going on up there," the brown-haired analyst stated through his humongous, long hair. Hiro just frowned at the sight of the dish, wondering what the heck was going on…

Back at the dish, Tyson looked up to see the smaller Asian smirking confidently right back at him. "What's your problem?" he asked the Korean. A smug expression then accompanied the smirk.

"Nothing, in fact, everything's going perfectly!" Hiniku replied joyfully, pointing down at the dish. Tyson glanced back down. His breath caught in his throat.

"DRAGOON! It's… wobbling! How'd you…when…?" Tyson babbled stupidly. He watched as Dragoon began to quiver to and fro. Hiniku looked at him with a matter-of-factly look on her tan face.

"Not me. Sakura-chan!" chirped Hiniku with a confident smirk. Seeing his bewildered expression, she decided to explain further. "Those cherry petals from her blade got caught in your storm, remember?"

_Flashback_

"_KIBA!" she cried out again, "DARK PETAL DANCE!" For a moment, all was silent except for the angry howl of the wind. Then a bright lilac light shone brightly through the storm before forcing the storm to dissipate, purple petals circling about the orb of light like a bug. A similar glow radiated around Sakura as she glared resolutely at the battle. She threw her arms out to the side suddenly, the purple light and petals disappearing._

_End Flashback_

"Well, it's those petals that are now caught in-between the gears of your blade, causing it to slow and loose balance. It was because YOU didn't examine your blade carefully after the battle, and now you and your team are gonna pay the price. See ya!" And with that explanation, Inochi attacked and gave Dragoon a mighty push and out of the stadium. Dragoon spun lightly before toppling at Tyson's feet.

The match was over and won.

"Folks, we have a new team of winners today! Everybody, give it up for the Winged Guardians!" Jazzman declared as Hiniku ran back to the team of girls ecstatically. Sakura's mouth was shaped like a huge doughnut, Tenshi was jumping into the air with Hiniku in celebration, and Kaze just stood there in a state of shock.

"We WON?!" Kaze asked the group in disbelief, a smile creeping its way onto her face. After getting a chorus of yes's, the Winged Guardians turned to face the roaring crowd and waved back to them in excitement. From up high in the stands, Rei looked down on the female team with his fanged grin.

"Sakura actually won," Rei grinned, completely unaware of the staggered look he was receiving from Mariah in the seat next to him. As he chuckled to himself, an arrogant snort interrupted him.

"Hey Rei, can we get moving sometime today? We have our own match up next, if you haven't noticed!" Lee snidely commented. With one last look down at the girls, Rei turned and nodded to his childhood friend. Without another word, Lee stood and led Rei and Mariah back out to the locker rooms. As the team of neko-jins walked out, Mariah looked back at the group of girls. Jealousy speckled her gaze as she glared down at Sakura.

"Mariah? Are you coming?" a voice called out.

The before-mentioned teen looked back up at the top of the steps to see Rei's smiling face. "Yes!" she replied as she hopped up the steps and fell into stride with him, walking down the hall side by side. Mentally, she shook away her jealousy away. After all, there was nothing to be jealous of. Rei was hers, and nothing could change that.

**N E V E R**

"Here are the seats, guys!"

Humming happily, Hiniku led the rest of her friends to an empty row of seats in the stadium. Tenshi smiled in spite of herself as she took a seat next to her overjoyed teammate. Sakura and Kaze sat good-naturedly in the end seats, conversing amongst themselves. This victory was really putting the girls in high spirits. Tenshi turned to Sakura, who was on her other side. "So, who's blading in the next match?" Sakura and Kaze looked flabbergasted at her, as if she had suddenly grown a third eye.

"REI!! DUH!" they cried in unison, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Suddenly, the two females turned on each other, sparks emanating from the glares they pointed at each other. Tenshi chortled, her eyebrows raised. The Korean on her other side leaned over to Tenshi's ear.

"If they were this excited to go to a match, who else do you think it could be?"

Tenshi sighed with a grin. Hiniku was right. She should've known better. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jazzman step back up to the dish.

"AND WE'RE BACK, LADIES AND GENTLMEN! Are you ready for the next match?!" he asked, though he already knew the answer. As expected, the crowd erupted into a roar of cheers in response. Jazzman put a smile on his face. "In our last match, the Winged Guardians showed who they were by beating the World Champion team, BBA Revolution! Now, for our next match-up, it's Europe versus Asia! First, give it up for… THE MAJESTICS!" On signal, the European Champion team walked out into the stadium. Leading his team, the German Champ, Robert walked ahead of the group. He was shortly followed by the Scottish hothead, Johnny, Italian flirt, Enrique, and the French artist, Oliver. The squeals of feverish female fans echoed through the stadium. Hiniku rolled her eyes.

"Stupid fangirls…" she muttered darkly under her breath. Tenshi laughed to her dismay. Hiniku redirected her gaze to Tenshi.

"I'm sorry, but c'mon! You've got to admit that they are, at the least, cute," she pointed out. The two looked back down at the Majestics for a moment before looking back at each other. "Well, except for Robert. But hey! Three out of four isn't that bad!" Hiniku rolled her eyes again with an exasperated sigh.

"You're hopeless, Tensh." Then, a smirk snaked to her lips. She glanced back at Tenshi furtively. "But I noticed how you shied away from the subject of the being in the hallway with KAI last night."

It was Tenshi's turn to glare back at Hiniku. "It's not like that, Hiniku. Kai is a World Champion blader, one of the top bladers in the BBA. He's a respectable opponent, that's all. And it didn't help that you all almost got him and his teammate SMACKED with a freakishly large FRYING PAN! How does that look for a new team?"

Hiniku shrugged nonchalantly. "Just goes to show you shouldn't let what people say get to you." When Tenshi muttered something about "first impressions make lasting impressions", the Korean just retorted. "Like you need to impress him anyway. You're a great blader, with or without his respect. Besides, if you think Enrique is cute, by your standards, I know you at least think Kai is hot."

An embarrassed blush crept up to Tenshi's cheeks, though it was countered by the hot steam that seemed to seep from her ears in anger. Just as the female opened her mouth to respond, another voice cut her off. "LOOK! THERE'S REI!" Sakura exclaimed from her other side, whirling her sister to turn and look as Rei strode confidently out into the stadium, his team trailing after him. A frown crossed Sakura's cocoa face. "And there's Lee, that stupid, arrogant, sexist pig!"

As Sakura continued to glare at Lee from the stands, Tenshi took that as a sign to slowly unwrap her arms from Sakura's suddenly dangerous claws. She leaned back in her seat to focus on the match before her. Much to Kaze and Sakura's dismay (much more to Sakura's), Lee stepped up first to go against Oliver. A moment later, the battle began. A moment later, all Sakura seemed to do was ridicule. Tenshi tried to focus on the battle, to analyze Lee's style, but Sakura's snide remarks would always find a way to distract her.

"ARGH! That idiot! And HE thinks he's better than ME?! Did you see that charge right there? That was completely reckless! Not to mention he keeps trying to rile up his opponent when it's fruitless. You can tell by Oliver's calm disposition while Lee's snarling like a little sourpuss. Honestly, I think –"

"SAKURA! SHUT-UP!" Tenshi suddenly shouted, interrupting Sakura in mid-rant. Her sister looked taken aback by the sudden outburst, but nonetheless, shut her mouth… for the most part. Taking a deep breath, Tenshi calmed herself and focused back on the match. Judging by the look in Lee's eye, it was all going to end soon.

"GALEON! SPIRAL LIGHTNING!" Lee commanded down in the dish. A black lion appeared from his blade as bolts of dark lightning sparked from his blade. Galeon charged forward and hit Oliver's blade with a direct hit.

"NO! UNICOLYON!" Oliver shouted in protest. But alas, the French blader could only watch in horror as his blade flew from the dish and landed on the ground behind him. Jazzman grinned and boomed into his microphone.

"And the winner is LEE! That gives one battle in favor of the White Tiger X crew!"

From up in the stands, just to spite her sister, Tenshi glanced over at Sakura with a smirk. "You were saying, Sakura?" Sakura didn't say a word, just leaned back and crossed her arms with a grunt of irritation. Tenshi laughed under her breath before looking back down at the dish as the next bladers stepped up.

"ALRIGHT EVERYBODY! The Majestics must really want to win this because they're sending in their team captain: the German Champion, Robert!" There was a chorus of hoots and hollers from around the stadium before Jazzman continued. "But White Tiger X isn't taking this lying down. They're sending in the best of China! Give it up for Rei!"

Already realizing what was coming, Hiniku and Tenshi quickly covered their ears as Sakura and Kaze cheered loudly from the stands. Even with her ear plugged, Tenshi still cringed from the high sound. Only after she was sure they were seated and remotely quiet did the other two Winged Guardians unplug their ears. Note the word "remotely".

"Back off Kaze! After my battle today, Rei will know I'M the better White Tiger!" Sakura claimed, making reference to herself and her bit-beast as one. Kaze glared back.

"No way, Sakura! Rei is calm and patient! He won't be able to stand someone so **loud** and **noisy**!" Kaze argued.

"Who're you calling loud?!"

"Who do you think, Ms. Chatterbox?"

"Oh, it's on now, buddy!"

"Bring it!"

"BOTH OF YOU JUST SHUT-UP AND WATCH THE MATCH!" Hiniku rebuked the two, jumping out of her seat to yell. The two shrank back slightly into their seats; an angry Korean is not good. Not good at all. Tenshi released another sigh for what seemed like the millionth time in the past ten minutes.

"Everybody, just calm down and watch the battle. You all need to be observing their blading styles, searching for weaknesses. We don't know, but anyone one of those bladers could be our opponents," the chocolate-haired teen stated in the most controlled voice she could muster. This was turning into a lot of yelling for one afternoon…

Hiniku slid back down into her seat without a fuss, immediately fine with the situation. Kaze and Sakura, with one last scowl at each other (and a warning glare from Tenshi), relaxed as well and focused as the battle raged on, having already begun while they argued. Back down in the dish, Rei's Driger and Robert's Griffolyon were battling it out in the dish. As Griffolyon bobbed and weaved away from Driger's swift barrage of attacks, Driger was also evading Griffolyon's counters. One could see as Robert gritted his teeth slightly in concentration, just as Rei's golden eyes were focused solely on the dish. This went about for some time, occasionally the two blades colliding and causing sparks. It was these moments when Kaze would make a comment about Rei's skill or Sakura would cheer from her seat. It was clear when the battle was coming to a close.

"GRIFFOLYON!" Robert called to his blade, "WIND DAGGER!" On demand, an enormous griffin bit-beast mounted from the blade. Griffolyon outspread its wings, then threw them closed with a monstrous force. An onslaught of feathers flew viciously towards the Driger. Rei clenched his fist. Sakura and Kaze held their breaths. The neko-jin's golden eyes lit up like lightning.

"DRIGER! GATLING CLAW!" Upon Rei's command, the mythical White Tiger arose from his silver blade in a flurry. Driger seemingly pounced swiftly around the dish, avoiding the feathers with impeccable speed. Just as the White Tiger reached Griffolyon, he did a mighty sweep across it, practically slashing the griffin. With one final cry, Griffolyon fell, defeated, back into its blade as Driger slammed it out of the dish. Robert's blade fell to the ground with a thud and slowly spun out of strength. As Griffolyon sat still for a moment, the outcome was officially decided.

"And with one last, masterful move, Griffolyon is out the dish! Rei wins the battle and the match goes to THE WHITE TIGER X TEAM!" Jazzman officiated. The first ones to cheer out of their seats were Sakura and Kaze, followed by the rest of the stadium as they roared their approval. Walking back over, the stadium could see as Rei shook Robert's hand out of sportsmanship, a grin on both of their faces. As Rei turned back towards his bench, he looked up into the crowd and caught the eyes of the Winged Guardians. Good-naturedly, the neko-jin waved a greeting to them. Sakura and Kaze both let out a small squeal… before then turning back on each other again.

"DID YOU SEE THAT?! He waved at ME!"

"NO! He was waving at ME!"

"YA WANNA BET, KAZE?!"

"OH YEAH!"

A sly grin on her perky Korean face, Hiniku stepped in-between the two feuding friends. "Ya know, I bet if you hurry down to the locker rooms, you could still catch him!" The light bulbs went off instantaneously. With one last glare at each other, both Sakura and Kaze bolted up the steps and out the door, pushing and shoving all the way. Tenshi exasperatedly stared after them.

"Hiniku, you really shouldn't provoke them…"

Her friend smiled back at her, mischievousness dancing in her eyes. "I know, but it's SO much FUN!"

Tenshi moaned with a roll of her eyes. Ignoring her friend's disapproval, Hiniku hopped up the steps and looked back at her. "Hey, are you coming to watch the show?" she queried. Tenshi grinned.

"Yeah, I'm coming." The female then proceeded to go up the steps as Hiniku sprinted down the hallway in pursuit of her teammates. Just as Tenshi reached the top of the stairs, an echoing silence consumed the stadium. Noticing the sudden hush, Tenshi turned to look down into the stadium. Her eyes widened in alarm. A thin veil of darkness had seemingly smothered the dish and the bladers that were battling it out. From the hallway on the top of the steps, Tenshi quickly leaned over to the edge that overlooked the crowd and the dish. The bladers from the next match were unrecognizable from the stands through the veil. Upon closer inspection, there was a billowing gale within the darkness. There was a sharp cry from the dish. Tenshi's hands gripped the stone ledge tighter. "What the heck is going on down there?!"

A moment later, the darkness slowly dissipated from the area and all was revealed. As the veil lifted, a defeated and beaten Claude (from Barthez's old team) fell to his knees, then to his hands as he hung his head. In the dish, there was only one blade spinning… and the remains of another. Tenshi's breath caught in her throat, her gaze finally resting upon the opponent. A tall, cloaked figure stood firm on the other side of the dish. He called back his black and silver blade and walked back to his bench without a word to Claude. Following his path, Tenshi saw a group of cloaked figures just like him at the bench. Jazzman only confirmed her fears.

"…W-well, folks, it seems our winner for the first battle is a member of the Shinigamiz," he stuttered. There was no applause, no cheering. Only silence, except for the growls of anger from Claude. The Fighting Dreamers team captain, Miguel, stepped up to the dish and kneeled next to him. He seemed to be consoling his fallen comrade. Claude said not a word as Miguel scooped up what was left of Claude's blade and handed it to him. The male blader stared blankly at Miguel before slowly walking back to his bench. It was almost as if the darkness had not only broken his blade, but also his spirits…

Miguel straightened up and glared darkly at the opposing bench where the cloaked bladers sat. Loading his blade, Miguel stepped back into a blader stance at the dish.

It was payback time by him.

Another male stood from the Shinigamiz bench and strode up to the dish. He was also tall in stature, about the same size of the previous. Apart from the slight differences in height, it was impossible to tell them apart. It didn't help that they didn't register by name either.

He stood in front of the dish for a second before pulling a gun launcher from his cloak. It was smoky silver and the blade attached was black and blood red. Launcher in hand, he also stepped back into a stance. Jazzman glanced nervously at the two before continuing the match, let alone the battle. "3! 2! 1!"

"Let it RIP!" Miguel growled, his blade spinning angrily around the dish. The Shinigamiz member launched without a word. Wary of the last match, Tenshi rested her forearms on the ledge to watch the match. The two dark beyblades spun around the dish, like cheetahs on the prowl. Within seconds, it was all over again. The thin dark veil reappeared in the dish, enclosing the two bladers. Instead of a roaring wind, there was a glimmer of fire sparks within the veil. The clanging of metal echoed through the silent stadium.

It was like déjà vu as the darkness was lifted to reveal Miguel's shattered blade and broken spirit. The Shinigamiz member called back his blade soundlessly before departing from the dish. Miguel's eyes were wide as beads of sweat ran down from his temple, his form hunched just like Claude's. As Jazzman declared the winner hesitantly, unsure himself of what was happening, a soft buzz of murmurs and whispers rang through the stadium.

Tenshi's thoughts were jumbled and her pulse was racing. _'What was THAT? Not only are they freaky, but powerful? To be so merciless as to totally dismantle someone's blade..." _she thought to herself. Her chocolate-drop eyes traced back to the Shinigamiz bench and her heart stopped.

From the bench, the tallest member was staring right back at her. Sometimes you can't tell where someone's looking, but this was a sure thing. Tenshi stepped back in surprise. The cloaked figure stared back at her, his hood hiding his face from her own startled gaze. The member next to him leaned over to whisper something to him, and when the tallest one responded, the other member also glanced up to stare at her. Though they were all the way across the stadium, Tenshi could feel the tense air around her, threatening to choke her. There was a minute where they just continued to stare at her, but before the other two could look up in the stands, she bolted. She ran out of the stadium without a second glance; she didn't have to look back to know their gaze had followed her distant form. If there was one thing Tenshi was sure of, it was this: something was off about them. Something dark and sinister…

Meanwhile, back down on the Shinigamiz' bench, the tallest young man smirked underneath his hood as he watched the young female blader run out of the stadium. _That's right, my angel. Run. Run, just like you did all those years ago…_

…

Tenshi ran down into the locker room area. After making another turn down the winding hallways, she leaned back against the wall breathlessly. Slowly, she peered back around the corner, as if expecting the Grim Reaper to appear in the darkness. Seeing as no one was there, Tenshi just leaned against that wall for a moment. Her thoughts were swimming in her head. What was going on here? Why were they staring at her? Who were they? And lastly, what were they hiding behind that veil of darkness? These questions poked and prodded at her mind before her thoughts came to a halt at the sound of a familiar voice from down the hall.

"That was a great match, Rei!"

"Yeah! It was awesome how you just took down Robert like that!"

A small grin found its way to Tenshi's lips. Sakura and Kaze had definitely found Rei. A small pang of pity for Rei struck her heart, but it was quickly shrugged off as she pushed herself off of the wall. Regaining her composure, Tenshi walked casually down the hall. As the lights began to light up the hall, a small gathering of teen bladers came into sight. Tenshi stepped up next to Hiniku, who, by the tell-tale smirk on her face, had been watching the whole thing. "What'd I miss?" Tenshi murmured to Hiniku. A sly look crossed the Korean's face.

"Well, aside from acting slightly like idiotic fangirls, not much. Although, don't get me wrong; it IS hilarious to watch them make a fool of themselves," Hiniku responded. Suddenly, her dark eyes lit up like a light bulb. She eagerly turned back to Tenshi. "OH! And see the giant pink mop over there?" Hiniku pointed over to Rei's side where Mariah stood. She had the expression as if someone had just stuck a stick up her butt. Slowly, Tenshi nodded, not quite where this was going. Hiniku's sneer deepened. "She's had a major case of the 'Green-Eyed Monster' the whole time Sakura and Kaze have been here!"

Tenshi chuckled. "Seriously?"

Hiniku nodded and grunted an affirmation. With another small snicker, the duo turned back to the conversation before them with interest. Kaze seemed to be commenting calmly and shyly, her hands clasped behind her back. This was like night compared to day if one would compare her to Sakura, who was standing next to her. Sakura would speak excitedly with a wide grin, gesturing with wild hand motions and sound effects as she would describe parts of the battle.

"It was really a great match, Rei!" Kaze complimented sincerely. Her silver eyes glittered with admiration. Rei just chuckled in response before Sakura put in her two-cents.

"No, really, Rei! It was SWEET how just when Driger was about to be clobbered you directed him to attack. Driger weaved almost effortlessly through that entire barrage of feathers and still managed to attack that stupid griffin head-on!" Sakura exclaimed happily. A small blush of embarrassment crept across Rei's cheeks.

"It's really not that big of a deal. Battles are always like that at this level. In the end, the better blader's got to come out on top. This time it was me," Rei humbly responded. His face was still flushed from the ever-flowing praise that the two females were giving him. Unfortunately (or fortunately to amuse Tenshi and Hiniku), this did not go unnoticed by Mariah. Shifting her weight ever so slightly towards Rei, Mariah gazed up at him.

"Rei, shouldn't we get going?" the pink-haired neko-jin queried "innocently". Sakura and Kaze mentally scowled as the pink mop attempted to steal him away. From the back of the pack, Hiniku and Tenshi snickered in amusement as the three girls secretly fought over him. Rei looked gently down at her, oblivious to what was lying underneath the surface of the conversation.

"It's ok, Mariah. But why don't you get going? You seem a little flushed," he said with a soft grin. And with that, Rei turned back to the two other members of the Winged Guardians. Tenshi and Hiniku looked at each other, mouths agape and eyes wide. Since Rei had his back to her, he didn't see how Mariah's face turned rosier than her hair and the expression on her face like she had just been slapped. Rei, although staring right at them, did not notice the triumphant grins on Sakura and Kaze's lips. Without another word, Mariah silently stormed off back to the hotel.

"Hey, some of the other bladers and I are grabbing a bite to eat. You girls want to come along?" the neko-jin invited. Sakura and Kaze's eyes lit up like a kid in a candy shop.

"SURE!" they replied in unison. Rei grinned in spite of himself. Tenshi rolled her eyes from behind them.

"Ehem!" she coughed. Alerted by the sound behind them, Sakura and Kaze turned to look back at Tenshi. Their friend gave them a pointed look. "Were you planning on ditching us?" asked Tenshi, motioning back and forth between her and Hiniku. The Korean nodded in agreement, noticeably sour because she was excluded. Rei covered for himself.

"Of course you two are also invited!" he grinned. Hiniku's face immediately lit up (for more reasons than one) and Tenshi released a sigh under her friend's pleading gazes.

"OK, we'll come."

Sakura and Kaze let out simultaneous cheers. Chuckling to himself, Rei gestured for them to follow, and like obedient kittens, the two Winged Guardians followed.

Shooting a look at Hiniku, Tenshi questioned, "Is this really a good idea?"

In response, Hiniku snickered and smirked back at her friend. "Probably not, but I have a feeling this is going to be very… _interesting_." Tenshi groaned again.

"**THAT'S** what I'm afraid of…"

…

Interesting was one word to describe the evening. Mortifying would be more accurate.

It wasn't bad enough when Sakura and Kaze fought about who got to sit next to Rei behind his back… when there was a chair on both sides of him. It only got worse when they met up with the "other bladers", who just so happened to be Tyson and an American blader named Max. Upon their arrival at the restaurant did the Winged Guardians only begin to realize why "Tyson" and "buffet" should never be in the same sentence. As the group led by Rei entered the buffet, they were intercepted by a loud shout from the opposite side of the room.

"REI!" a familiar BeyBlade World Champion exclaimed. Happily, Tyson jogged over to his Chinese pal, flanked by a cute blonde boy. "You made it, man! We were starting to wonder what happened to you!"

A chuckle escaped from Rei's lips. "Sorry, I was pleasantly held up," he responded, gesturing to the group behind him. Tyson glanced around him and his eyes locked into the cocoa eyes of Sakura. Both teens jumped back, pointing accusing fingers at each other.

"YOU!" they cried in chorus. Rei only continued to laugh, this time joined by the rest of the group.

"What are YOU doing here?!"

"I could ask YOU the same thing, loser!"

"I'm not a loser! I'm the three-time World Champion-"

"-Who just so happened to LOSE today in the first match of the tournament!"

As the two continued to argue, the blonde walked over to the others, a cheerful grin on his freckled face. "They sound a lot like an old, married couple, don't they, Rei?"

"WE DO NOT!" Sakura and Tyson rounded upon him instantly. Max chuckled again. He then looked back to Rei.

"Rei, since Tyson seems to already know them, why don't you introduce me to your cute friends?" Max asked his former teammate. The group of girls was taken aback by Max's comment. Glancing at Sakura's expression, Tyson sneered.

"Don't take it to heart; Max calls **all** girls cute."

A moment later, Tyson had a streak of red on his cheek with the imprint of Sakura's hand. Ignoring the act of violence, Rei inclined his head to Max. He started off with the African-American teen next to him. "This is Sakura, and over here, this is Tenshi, Hiniku, and their team captain, Kaze."

Max's merry gaze rested upon Kaze for a moment. "Hey, we met at the Team Captain's meeting last week, right?" Kaze chuckled lightly.

"Yes, I get that a lot," she replied. The group moved across the room over to a vacant table. After being seated, they were given a receipt for the buffet and left to themselves. Tyson leapt up almost immediately.  
"FOOD TIME!!" he exclaimed. Flanked soon by Max, Tyson sprinted to the buffet line. In almost no time at all his plate was full of food and delicious delicacies. The Winged Guardians stared at him with saucer eyes. As the rest of the group sat down, Tyson was already chewing away, a drumstick in one hand and a cheeseburger in another. "GUYS! THIS FOOD IS GWEAT!" Food spewed from his mouth as he spoke. Sakura gave him a look of repulsion before taking her seat by Rei.

"Tyson, that is absolutely disgusting!" scolded Sakura. A cough came from the other side of the table. Sakura and Rei turned to meet Tenshi's gaze.

"Sakura, if I recall correctly, don't YOU usually talk with your mouth full?"

Chagrin overcame Sakura's features, her cocoa eyes averting her friend's smirk. Rei just laughed it off. "Don't worry about it," he said, "Everyone does it at one point or another. With others, like Tyson, it just happens more frequently!" A small smile crept onto Sakura's cheeks from the comment. From the other side of Rei, Kaze frowned. This was not looking good for her.

"So, Rei," the Winged Guardian's team captain interjected. As Rei turned to face her, Kaze couldn't help but notice the scowl from Sakura. "How long have you been blading?"

After a moment of thought, Rei looked back at the female. "Hm, my whole life, I guess. All I can ever remember is blading. You know, the White Tiger X guys are the same people I grew up with. Lee, Gary, Kevin, Mariah, and I have always been together. We're like family."

Hiniku and Tenshi couldn't help but snicker quietly at the cross look on their teammates' faces when he mentioned Mariah. Rei, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice a thing. It was then Max picked up the conversation. "So, what about you guys? I mean, you're a new team, first all-girl team, and already winning your way through the tournament by beating Tyson!" It was Tyson's turn to scowl.

"HEY!"

Max grinned his cat-like smile. "Sorry, Tyson; it's the truth!" The blonde turned back to the Winged Guardians. "So, seriously, where have y'all been this whole time?"

The four females looked back at each other before glancing back at Max. Hiniku decided to speak first. "Well, Tenshi and Kaze have been blading for years!"

Sakura nodded in agreement. "Yeah! They're the best on the team, no offense, Hiniku!" she tagged onto the end. Hiniku let out a snort, but agreed nonetheless. "And Tenshi's always wanted to go World, but her and Kaze couldn't do it alone. So, being the great big sister I am, I took up blading to help them out. I still struggle sometimes, but they're both great teachers."

Glancing back and forth between the African-American who just spoke and the pale Tenshi, Rei looked at her confusedly. "Sisters?"

"Yes. We're sisters," Tenshi smiled, though there was an edge to her voice. Sensing the tension, Hiniku piped in.

"Yeah! So when the three of them started training, they couldn't just leave **me** out, so I joined in. _Apparently_ I have more of a knack for it than Sakura!" Hiniku sneered. Sakura glared back at the Korean.

"Watch it!" she warned. The two began a staring contest: one with confident eyes and one with a glower. Kaze sighed at her friend's childish, but common behavior.

"But even before the team was created we were all friends!"

"Friends to the end!" Sakura cut in, a cheerful grin on her face and having totally forgotten about Hiniku.

"All four of us went to school together," Tenshi continued. The edge was gone from her voice. "Sakura and I are from Japan and we came to know Hiniku through school since she was a Korean foreign-exchange student. But after meeting us, she decided to make a permanent residence near us."

"YEAH! She loved us too much to leave!" Sakura piped up, throwing a grin at Hiniku. She snorted back in response.

"Pft! As if!"

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but Hiniku just cut off with a "just kidding". The group then returned their attentions to Tenshi, who then continued.

"And after that, we met Kaze, who had just recently moved from China."

"You're from China?" Rei said incredulously to the female at his side. She shyly nodded back.

"I was living with my grandmother; she's a neko-jin."

Rei's surprise only increased. "A neko-jin, huh? So that means you're part neko-jin?" he queried. Kaze nodded slowly. "I'm a neko-jin, as well as the rest of the White Tiger X team. I'll have to watch my back around you." Kaze's tan cheeks flushed a dark red. Sakura crossed her arms from his other side. It was official: this was WAR! But before another word was spoken, Tyson cut in, totally throwing the conversation.

"Hey Max!" he called across the table. The blonde looked up in response. "How your match today? You guys played Kai, right?"

Max nodded, his cat-like smile on his lips. "Yeah! It was a really tough match; I was hoping not to blade them this early in the tournament, but somebody had to, right?" he commented with a small shrug. Max continued, "But we ended up winning! It was so close too! Rick beat one of the other Russians; Bryan, I think," He paused for a moment of thought. Though it didn't surprise anyone that Rick, Max's stubborn, hardheaded partner, won. Rick was known for his brute strength. "Yeah, it was Bryan," he confirmed, carrying on. "Then they sent up Tala; that was the tougher part. But Draciel pulled through and we won!"

Tyson gave his buddy a high-five across the table. "That's sweet man! Bet Kai wasn't happy!"

Rei shook his head. "Knowing him, you wouldn't even be able to tell if he was." The other two former BladeBreakers hummed in agreement. Tenshi glanced at her cell-phone, then looked up at her teammates.

"It's getting late guys, and if we have to blade tomorrow, I want us to get a good night's sleep," she said. Sakura sighed.

"Do we HAVE to?"

Tenshi scowled back. "Depends. Do you want to fall asleep in the dish tomorrow?"

Sakura hung her head in defeat. "Point."

The females then stood from the table. "I guess we should get going," Kaze told Rei. He then stood up next to her.

"It's fine; I should really get going too. My team's probably wondering what happened to me."

"Yeah, and I should probably get going too!" Max agreed with Rei.

"It was very nice to meet you all," Tenshi said, drawing the conversation to a close. Hiniku nodded with her perky grin. The two then began to walk out of the buffet, hoping Sakura and Kaze would follow. Sakura turned to Rei.

"I guess I'll see you around," she bid farewell. Rei grinned toothily back, and Sakura followed her sister and friend out of the restaurant. After also saying goodbye to Rei, Kaze also turned to Max.

"Oh, and it was nice meeting you… AGAIN," Kaze laughed and Max chuckled in chorus with her.

"Yeah, it's always my pleasure to meet… or **re**-meet cute girls!"

And with that last laugh, Kaze then filed out of the buffet, leaving the three former BladeBreakers alone. Max swallowed the remainder of his chortles, but the grin remained on his face. "Well, I'll see you guys later!"

Then Rei also faced Tyson. "Yeah, we'll see you later, Tyson." Then they walked out and back to the hotel. Tyson smiled as his friends left. It was nice when they could have those reunions, even if others were along. As Tyson stood from the table, a small piece of paper on the table caught his eye. Reaching for it, Tyson's eyes bulged to the size of watermelons.

"HEY!! THEY LEFT ME WITH THE CHECK!!"

**S T O P**

When the Winged Guardians returned to the suite, Hiniku flung herself onto the sofa in front of the T.V. "UGH!" she groaned as her friends stared in fascination, "I'm so TIRED!!" Kaze just smiled patiently back and grabbed the T.V. remote from the coffee table. Hiniku shifted her position as to make room for Kaze as she also fell back onto the fluffy couch. As the T.V. flickered on, immediately on the news was a recap of Max's battle against Tala earlier. On the flat-screen television, the girls watched as Max's green Draciel deflected all of Tala's Wolborg's attacks. When Max called out his super move against Tala's, that was when it got close. As the two blades toppled and wobbled, it was soon that Tala's blade fell, shortly followed by Draciel. Kaze grinned.

"Wow, that really was a close match!"

Still standing in the doorway, Sakura yawned hugely. "Well, you guys can stay up, but I'm beat!" The African-American female then walked slowly to her bedroom, calling a "goodnight!" on her way. Tenshi nodded as well.

"I'm gonna go ahead as well. Especially if I'm going to blade tomorrow! 'Night!" And with that closure, Tenshi also walked into the back room with Sakura. Kaze and Hiniku, the only two remaining, looked at each other.

"You know, we really should go to bed too…" Kaze started. The two stared at each other for a moment, then looked back at the T.V.

"NAH!" they replied in unison as they sank back into the soft, plush sofa.

…

"I can't believe we actually won!!" Sakura exclaimed as she plopped down on her bed. Tenshi smiled along with her sister as she allowed herself to fall back onto her own bed after slipping into her pajamas. "Looks like all that training actually did help! Can you believe it Tenshi-nee? Your dream really might come true! We could win this, we could win it all!" the cherry-blossom princess laughed ecstatically as she lay there in amazement of the day's events. Tenshi chuckled under her breath as she stared blatantly at the ceiling.

"You're right Saku-chan; we might just win this, and then all that hard work wouldn't have been for nothing," then the angelic Caucasian's face then grew slightly grimmer, "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We may have beat the World Champions, but their ego had a factor to play in that. The rest of our competition won't be like that. In fact, most of the teams probably can't wait to see us fall. We're the first all-female team in the World Championships, let's not mess this up because your _own_ ego swelled," she told her strictly, trying to prevent the downfall of the team's success.

Sakura then nodded her head in agreement before taking her pillow and hugging it close to her. "But we got to have dinner with REI! That alone could satisfy me for now! Now his teammates on the other hand…" Sakura began to growl, then started beating the stuffing out of her pillow. "ARGH! Stupid Lee! If we face his team, he's going DOWN!!! That stupid, self-centered, arrogant loser! And then Mariah! OOO! She's a stupid, trampy, pink-haired—"

**POOF!**

A pillow smacked Sakura in the face with a big "poof", stopping her in mid-rant. The fluffy white pillow slowly slid down her face to reveal the Sakura's glare at Tenshi. A sinister smirk snaked its way across her lips as Sakura gripped the pillow in her hands. "Oh! So that's how it's gonna be, huh? Then DIE, little sis!" And with that "death threat", Sakura lunged at Tenshi with the pillow and began to beat the younger teen viciously with the all-mighty fluffiness of the pillow. Tenshi giggled as she held up her forearms in a futile defense. Then she pushed away the pillow only to grab one of her own.

"All-right then! Bring! It! ON!!" the angelic teen declared happily, springing into action with her pillow of doom. The duo laughed and giggled like little kids as they fought valiantly with the deadly bunch of fluff. After a few moments, they lay down exhaustedly in their own beds, panting and chuckling at the moment. It was just like the ol' days. Back when they were nothing more than best friends. Back when Tenshi had a family of her own, and didn't have to share Sakura's…

The African-American panted as she turned her head to face Tenshi. "Well that was fun!" Sakura happily panted through her short breaths, her voice cracking a laugh. Tenshi smiled back at her friend with a wide grin.

"Naw dip; really?" she retorted sarcastically with a smirk, earning a small growl from Sakura as she threw her pillow at Tenshi's head. Not having the best of aim, it missed and landed gently beside her. The icy-blue banged female chuckled as she sat herself gently against the headboard of the bed. "Well, last time I checked, we have another match tomorrow at 12:30. Better get some rest because we've got to keep doing well in order to get into the finals in the next week or so!"

Sakura snorted as she crawled into the warm hotel bed. "Pft, yeah. I'm going to rest, but it's going to be YOU in the match tomorrow! I did my work today!" She snuggled into the three layers of blankets on her bed as Tenshi responded.

"True, but you never know when you'll be needed to blade–"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just stop barking and go to sleep!" And with that interruption, Sakura switched the light off, leaving the two in darkness. Tenshi sighed, then crawled under the comforts of her own bed. Just as she was about to drift off into sleep, the rustling of sheets on the other side of the room alerted her. Knowingly, the chocolate-haired teen waited for her sister to speak.

"You know, Tensh, your parents would've been real proud of you for coming this far."

Tenshi's breath was caught in her throat for a moment. She grinned weakly. "Yeah, I know. And that's why we're not going down without a fight!" Feeling Sakura's gaze still upon her back, Tenshi waited for the steady, rhythmic breathing to overcome the African-American before drifting off into her own land of peace.

**M Y**

Before long, night had fallen completely upon the Russian tundra. By one o' clock, all of the Winged Guardians were asleep. All, that is, except for one. Tenshi still lay awake on her bed, the only sound piercing the dead of night being the soft breathing of Sakura in the bed next to her. Her chestnut orbs stared blankly at the ceiling… just like they had for the past hour. Nothing could get her to sleep. Music? Didn't work. Counting sheep? Got bored at 152. She even managed to completely renew Sakura's blade. So now Tenshi was just lying there. She released a sigh as she climbed out of bed and stretched her arms. Slowly, the icy-blue banged teen crept from her covers and walked out onto the balcony.

She felt a chilling breeze sweep across her bare arms, clad only in a short-sleeve shirt and flannel pants. The moon shone bright above her, the stars in its glory. Although the Russian air was cold and frigid, it was also serene.

"Hmph." A grunt came from her left. Looking over, she saw none other than Kai Hiwatari sitting on the ledge of the balcony next door. An embarrassed blush heated her cheeks; she hadn't even noticed him sitting there.

"Oh! I'm sorry! If you want I can leave…?" Tenshi suggested nervously, gesturing back towards her room. Kai glared at her for a moment before looking back out to the Russian tundra.

"Whatever," Kai muttered. His crimson eyes gazed outwards with a far-away look. Wanting to respect his privacy, Tenshi turned to go back in. But she also knew that no sleep would welcome her if she left. Pausing at the door, Tenshi then turned back and leaned on the edge of her own balcony.

The scenery from the hotel was _beautiful_. As the wind howled and swept across the icy wasteland, a light layer of snow would be picked up. The snow danced and twirled in the silvery moonlight. Then, as it fell slowly back down, the fluff showered down like falling stars. Tenshi took in a deep breath of the frozen air.

"It's magical, isn't it?" the female asked aloud. Kai said nothing, just continued to stare out at the fallen snow. A breeze blew by, brushing through his blue, spiky hair. Tenshi smiled to herself. "It's just like my old backyard back in Japan. The snow would pile up, then some would just come to life and dance with the wind! It was just AMAZING!" She continued.

Instinctively, he noticed her speaking in past tense, but Kai didn't care. Why should he? Another embarrassed blush crept onto Tenshi's cheeks. "And here I am, rambling again. Gomen; I just can't believe I'm really here! I've worked my whole life for this, and here I am!" The words just flowed from her lips in excitement. Glancing over at Kai's stoic form, she asked, "Have you ever had a dream?"

The Russian was silent for a moment, then he turned to spare a glance at the female blader. "Dreams are for the weak. They only serve to be something that one can never contain. I have a goal, because I will make it into a reality," Kai responded.

Turning around, he slid off the ledge and back onto the balcony. Kai pivoted and glanced at Tenshi, an arctic edge in his tone. "So you better give it everything you've got tomorrow!"

With those last words, he walked back into his room, leaving a puzzled Tenshi in his wake.

**H E A R T

* * *

**

**Well, there you go everyone! Thanks again for being so patient with me! It's really hard to juggle my life, but my outline is coming along great, so all I need to do is type the next part of the next chappie! I hope you all like this chappie. It's extremely long… Also, if you have been reading my story, Don't Say You Love Me, don't get your hopes up on updates. I have other chappies ready to post, but because I wrote them a long time ago. This story and a revamped version of my BeyBladexFullMetal Alchemist crossover are taking my full attention. Sorry, that's just the way it is. But I hope that you all do read that when it comes out. If I get reviews, maybe I'll give you all a sneak peek. So please, review, PM me, whatever. Just give me some feedback. Bewii!**

**Mishi-chan**


	5. Strength and Weakness

**Never Stop My Heart**

**By Mishi-chan**

**Disclaimer: I do not own BeyBlade, but I do own Tenshi Hikari and all the OC's bit-beasts, Invisible Love owns Hiniku, MuraSakura owns Sakura, and my partner-in-crime owns Kaze.**

**A/N: OMG! I OFFICIALLY HAVE OVER 900 HITS FOR THIS STORY! YAY! You all made Me-sa feel special. So anywayz, I'm back again! I'm so happy how this story is making progress. I really have a good feeling about this story. It may take me a while, but I think you readers will be satisfied with my fic. Also, when it mentions 'alcohol' in here, it is referring to the medical alcohol, not the beverage. And please forgive me if the characters are a little OOC. So here's a little treat for all those students who just finished testing and exams!**

**Dedication: This chappie is dedicated to GoddessPhoenix3173: my zealous, totally radical reader who actually reviews! XD This is for you, chica!**

* * *

The next day was beautiful. Clear skies, bright sun, cold snow glistening on the ground. It was well into the morning and most people were up and about. But today, that didn't include an early bird by the name of Tenshi. Tenshi slept soundly in her fluffy hotel bed. Suddenly, a loud techno beat pierced the perfect silence. Tenshi rolled over and put her pillow over her ears subconsciously. 

"5 more minutes…" she grumbled as the loud sound stopped. Relaxing, Tenshi was about to fall back to sleep when the techno tune started up again. Muttering under her breath, she propped herself up enough to grab her ringing cell phone off of the nightstand, flipping it open as she lay back down. Before Tenshi could mutter a syllable, a shriek erupted from the cellular device.

"_**TENSHI TSUKINO HIKARI**_! WHERE THE **HECK** ARE YOU?!" a familiar voice demanded on the other end. Tenshi cringed.

"Sakura, **what** are you talking about? Where are **you**?" Tenshi heard Sakura sigh with exasperation before going on.

"Do you know what time it is?"

Tenshi shook her head "no", then voiced it, knowing Sakura couldn't see her.

"It's 12:15," Sakura heard her teammate gasp on the other end, but that wasn't the end of it. "Tenshi, our next match is in **15 MINUTES**!!" There was silence on Tenshi's end. Then…

"OH **MY **_**GOSH!!**_ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!**" The screaming continued as Sakura heard loud crashes from the hotel room. " Tensh?" Sakura questioned. A heavily panting breath returned to the phone.

"Sakura! I'm on my way!" There was a click and the line was terminated. Sakura smirked as she hung up and turned to her other teammates, who had been pacing around the locker room. They looked up to see her smirk.

"She's on her way!"

…

After dressing, pulling her hair back into a feathery bun, and grabbing her messenger bag with all her gear, Tenshi sprinted out of the hotel in a flurry. Cold gusts of wind blew sharply against her frame as she ran through the bustling Russian streets. Sparing a glance at her cell, the clock read "12:24". Growling, the milk-chocolate haired female pushed herself faster.

'_AW SNAP!! C'mon, Tensh! MOVE IT!!_' she thought as she raced down the street. Looking up, the Moscow Beystadium loomed overhead. Tenshi pushed through the throng of people, flashing her ID as she flew by security. Sprinting through the corridors, she wasn't looking up ahead. As the teenage female rounded the corner towards the locker rooms, she glanced up to see the Blitzkrieg Boys. Her eyes widened, unable to stop her dash. Quickly, Tenshi pivoted on the ball of her foot and twisted around the tough group. Tenshi couldn't look back. She didn't have time. But as she ran down the hall, Tenshi yelled back, " SORRY!!"

Tala hadn't given her a second glance, whereas Kai had glared back at her sprinting form as she disappeared down the hall. "Kai, let's go. We have a match to win," Tala's icy voice demanded. Answering him with a grunt, Kai turned back and marched ahead of the redhead. Focus glazed his crimson eyes as he stared down the hall; one thought on his mind: The Winged Guardians were going **down**.

…

Tenshi panted heavily as she raced down the hall, her messenger bag beating against her leg and her winged-star choker plastered to her throat. Coming to the near-end of the hall, she threw open a door to reveal the Winged Guardians. Toppling over, Tenshi plopped down on the bench of the locker room. Sakura smiled at the team. "See? I told you she'd be here!" the temperamental female exclaimed happily. Hiniku released a huff as she crossed her arms.

"Well, it took her long enough to _**get here**_!" the Asian snorted. This earned her a glare from Tenshi and an attempted whack on the head from Sakura. Kaze chuckled at the sight before intervening.

"OK guys, save it for the match!" Kaze said, stepping between Hiniku and Sakura's feud. Tenshi nodded as she stood up from the bench, sliding her bag off of her shoulder. Reaching into her messenger bag, the female pulled out a lilac blade, the bit-chip on top gleaming good-as-new. Sakura let out a shriek as she snatched away from her sister's hand.

"Kiba! You fixed her!" Sakura gasped, giving the blade the full 360-degree look-over. Tenshi smirked at her temperamental friend.

"Told ya I could, you tard!" Shooting one more glance at Sakura, Tenshi then went back into her bag and strapped on her lop-sided belt so that it rest on her hips. Then she strapped her blade-holder to her right bicep and to top it all off, she locked her iPod onto her belt with her bulky headphones resting on her neck. Her hair was already pulled back, so she was ready. Ready to blade. Turning around, she looked at her friends, a confident smirk on her face. "Let's go out and kick some butt!"

…

"Welcome back to the Moscow Stadium for today's matches. Tell me, ARE YOU READY TO SEE SOME BLADING?!" Jazzman questioned the excited group of spectators. They roared in response back to him. "Then let's get started! In this corner, we have our new team, the WINGED GUARDIANS!"

At that, the group of girls ran out from the locker room hallway. Sakura and Hiniku led the way, yelling and waving the whole way to the bench with Kaze and Tenshi in tow. At the bench, they circled up.

"Ok, here's the line-up. For today's match, Tenshi will take the first battle and I'll take the second battle," Kaze began, FINALLY playing her role as team captain. "And if there is a need for a tie-breaker match, one of us will blade." The team nodded in unison. With a smirk, Tenshi hopped up to the dish, resting a hand on her hip. Seeing as they were ready, Jazzman continued.

"And these girls better be ready to fight, because their opponents are… the BLITZKRIEG BOYS!!"

The audience erupted into a fit of roars as the cold team of Russians stalked out to their bench. Tenshi, however, had a different reaction.

Her jaw dropped all the way to China and back. Slowly she turned back to her team's bench. "The Blitzkrieg Boys? The BLITZKREIG BOYS?!" Tenshi exclaimed furiously. Kaze cowered slightly from the bench and her eyes widened.

"Oh? Did I forget to mention that?" Kaze asked her in sincerity. It was clear that somehow, someway, the teen actually **forgot**. Tenshi let out an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, I believe you FORGOT TO MENTION THAT!" she yelled again. Kaze covered her ears as the other female blader began to hassle the poor team captain. As she did so, Kai let out a small sigh of irritation from the other bench.

"Tala, go get this over with."

Tala nodded at the other Russian before glaring back at the dish, sauntering up to it coldly, but confidently. He stood there for a moment with Tenshi's back to him, still too occupied by yelling at her captain. He let out a grunt. "Hn, you think we could get this over with before I die of boredom?"

Tenshi froze in mid-rant and slowly turned back to face him. She gulped as his icy eyes glared at her. Nodding her head slowly, she then proceeded to put on her bulky set of headphones when Jazzman stopped her.

"I'm sorry, but you can't wear those at the dish," he said as-a-matter-of-factly. The blader spun to look at him, a glint in her eye.

"What do you mean I can't wear them? First you make me face the toughest team in Russia, now you're going to deprive me of my music?!" By the end of her of her question she was screeching at the poor man. Jazzman suddenly understood why Kaze cowered.

"I'm sorry, but rules are rules. After some cheating in last year's tournament, all types of headsets have been disbanded from the dish, including headphones. Just don't shoot the messenger."

She opened her mouth to yell again when another voice filled the void. "Can you just shut-up so we can get this over with?" Tala asked with an exasperated sigh. Tenshi whipped around to face him. The dark glare on her face was so sudden he was almost taken aback. Almost. Confidently, the female blader to turned to face him fully; a determined look sparkled in her chestnut eyes.

She pulled out her launcher and loaded it; the gun-like launcher was an angelic-blue hue, with plastic white wings outspread on the sides and her ripcord had a winged star on the end. The loaded blade was also a light turquoise color, the tips as sharp as a knife. Stepping back into a blader stance, Tenshi's mouth pressed into a fine line.

"You wanna get this over with? Fine, but don't cry when I win!" she retorted. By the cold, analytical look on his face, it was obvious Tala was underestimating her. He also loaded Wolborg and stepped back into stance. The smirk on his face was another clue of his analysis. Jazzman looked back and forth between the two bladers before continuing.

"ALRIGHT! BLADERS READY?" He yelled into the microphone; each blader nodded an affirmation. "3! 2! 1! LET IT RIIIIP!"

With that last shout, Tala and Tenshi released their blades. Both blades landed on opposite edges of the dish, Wolborg on one side, Tenshi's crystal blade on the other. "Go Wolborg!" Tala commanded, commencing the battle. Wolborg charged around the dish and rammed into the opposing blade's backside. Tenshi's crystal blade flew forward from the force. Tenshi gritted her teeth and focused her eyes strictly on the battle. As if on Tenshi's mental command, her blade spun back and struck Wolborg. A clang rang through the air.

The two blades began to circle the dish in a never-ending game of "Cat and Mouse". Wolborg would ram viciously into Tenshi's blade, only to be pushed back in retaliation. It was like a dance: charge, evade, hit. Charge, evade, hit. It just occurred over and over again. Tala glanced up from the dish, briefly looking at his opponent. Tenshi was glaring with a focused glint at the dish. Tala smirked again.

"Just give up now," he warned, "If you stop you might be able to save your blade."

Tenshi narrowed her eyes at Tala, her chocolate eyes brimming with determination. Tala saw this as his chance. Seizing that split-second she took to glare at him, Wolborg rammed mercilessly into his opponent. Tenshi looked back down, startled. Her blade flew back to the other side of the dish, dancing on the rim. Shaking away distractions, the female blader regained her composure. At once her blade also straightened up, as if in synch with its wielder.

The other females on the Winged Guardians gazed on with a fire, all of them shouting words of encouragement and support. This was very much unlike the Blitzkrieg Boys' bench as the battle raged on. The remaining members sat there, not even watching the battle. All, that is, except for one.

Kai watched the battle in silence. So far there was nothing special, nothing extraordinary about the female blading. But if that was truly the case, then why did he have the feeling of something hidden behind her chocolate-drop eyes?

But it didn't matter; one glance at Tala and one would know it was going to end soon. Kai observed as Tala clenched his fists, his pale skin turning whiter than the snowcaps of Russia. The glint of finality in his eyes said it all: he was going to finish this. "Wolborg!" the redheaded male called. Tenshi spared a glance at Tala, only to be faced with a menacing scowl. Tenshi silently gulped as realization hit her. Her gaze switched back to her blade in alarm. Both bladers knew what was coming. "Wolborg! Novae Rog!"

"NO!" Tenshi protested. As the ice and wind began to billow, her chocolate orbs rested upon her crystal blade. "Mangetsu! Marvelous Light!" Tenshi commanded her blade. Just as Wolborg charged in with its icy army, Tenshi's blade, Tsuki, rushed forward and collided head-on with a blinding light. There was a small explosion in the dish, ice shards flying every-which-way amongst the eruption of light. An ice-shard flew by Tenshi's face and, as her arms had been shielding her face, the shard slashed her arms in passing. She winced momentarily before focusing on the dish, the explosion clearing.

Both bladers' eyes searched the dish as the light dimmed and faded. When the light finally disappeared, Tenshi let out a gasp and Tala's eyes flared. In the center of the dish, scarred and _**beaten**_, was Wolborg. Mangetsu wasn't much better off, wobbling to and fro before falling on its side. The crowd was silent, astonishment passing through them. The Blitzkrieg Boys were just as surprised, shock whining in their eyes. Kai furrowed his; things just got more interesting.

Of course, the opposite reaction came from the Winged Guardians' bench. Overjoyed, a very loud Hiniku and Sakura leapt up in excitement. "WOOO! Go Tenshi!" Sakura cried out. Hiniku began to jump up and down exuberantly, hugging the stuffings out of Kaze. Their outburst seemed to waken DJ Jazzman from his awed trance.

"AMAZING! And the winner of this battle Tenshi!" Jazzman declared. An eruption of claps and shouts ensued from the bemused crowd. In a state of shock, Tenshi stood there for a moment. Never mind that dark scowl she was receiving from Tala. She had actually won! Tenshi was always quick to talk smack, but never did she ever imagine actually beating _Tala_, BBA World Championship Finalist _Tala_. A wave of happiness washed over her. Leaning down to get her fallen blade, Tenshi reached down and picked up Wolborg as well. Tenshi walked slowly over to Tala, a grin on her face.

"Good match, Tala. You and Wolborg kept me and Mangetsu on the ropes the whole battle!" the female complimented, handing Wolborg to Tala. In a silent rage, he snatched his blade from her open hand and stormed off to his team's bench. Tenshi could hear Sakura calling her from the bench, so with a smile, she turned and walked back to her friends. Upon her return, the group of girls knocked her to the ground in a dog-pile.

On the opposing bench, Tala thumped down, avoiding the questions fired at him by his other teammates. He replied to none of them, only glaring at the group of female bladers on the other side of the stadium. Saying nothing, Kai stood and clutched Dranzer in his gloved hand. As he turned to the dish, a voice cut him off from going further. "Kai," Tala stated rather than called and although Kai didn't turn to look at him, he knew he was listening. "Beat her."

They were simple words, but to Tala they held a sign of vengeance. And in order to be vengeance, there must be defeat. "Defeat" and "lose" were not in Tala's vocabulary and Kai understood that. Tala wanted Kai to prove it was just a fluke, a struck of luck that Tenshi got that victory. Kai continued to walk on, but not before nodding slightly in acknowledgement to his friend/teammate. Upon reaching the dish, the stoic captain could see the girls disperse back to the bench, but not before sending their own team captain up to the dish with wishes of luck. Kaze walked up to the dish calmly, a soft resolve in her gaze.

"ALRIGHT! This next battle is a team captain face-off! The Winged Guardians are in the lead with one win by Tenshi! Now the pressure is on for the Blitzkrieg Boys! Are you ready for this?!" Jazzman riled the crowd. They roared in response. Jazzman grinned. "Are the bladers ready?'

Kai pulled out his launcher and loaded up his blade. Kaze, in response, loaded her own gold blade into her black gun-launcher (which was speckled with silver). A winged storm cloud emblem was on her launcher, matching the emblem that was on her jacket. Focus glazed her silver orbs. Jazzman checked both bladers. "OK! Here we go: 3!" he began to count down. Kai glared at the female. There was no way **he** was going to lose to some new girl.

"2!"

Kaze clenched her launcher tightly and shifted uncomfortably under Kai's dark stare. She was going to have to fight her hardest to win this.

"1! Let it RIP!"

The two blades were launched into the dish with impeccable speed. It seemed that even before the blades hit the dish that Kai's Dranzer was attacking Kaze's blade. Dranzer began a furious barrage of swipes and strikes at the opposing gold blade. Kaze grit her teeth together; it was time for her to be serious.

Her trained eyes followed Dranzer's assaults. Peeking at her opponent, Kaze saw her opponent calm and composed. She grit her teeth harder. Fine. If he was going to play like that, then she'll do the same. Patience **was** one of her virtues. Kaze took a deep breath and released it slowly. As if on mental command, her gold blade tenaciously pushed back against Dranzer. Sparks flew.

At the sound of grinding metal, Kai opened one crimson eye to glance down in the dish. Dranzer pushed back with a sudden force; the gold blade was rammed backwards. Kaze held her breath as her blade danced on the rim of the dish. One look at the dish gave her enough information to predict the outcome. It wasn't looking good. Kaze released another breath; she was going to have to put all her faith in one attack. Dranzer spun solitarily in the center as the gold blade regained balance on the rim. She closed her eyes, then forced them back open in a flurry.

"KILA!" she called her blade. On command, the gold blade, or Kila, started forward… then seemingly vanished into thin air. "WING STRIKE!" There was silence in the dish. Kai closed his eye again and exhaled.

It was over.

Just as Kila reappeared directly behind Dranzer, preparing for an assault, Kai said, "Dranzer! Blazing Gigs!" A whirling onslaught of fire erupted from the beyblade, catching the gold blade in the flames. Dranzer charged closer to the now flaming Kila and rammed it out of the dish. Kaze gasped as her blade fell soundlessly next to her foot, smoke seeping from it. Dranzer ceased the flames and returned to its master on Kai's silent command. BBA workers filed from the area to extinguish the remaining flames in the dish. Without another word, Kai filed from the dish and back to his bench.

"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT, FOLKS! In one extraordinary burst of power, Kai wins the second battle!" Jazzman concluded. The crowd erupted into cheers. Dropping to one knee, Kaze picked up her blade, her eyes void of emotion. She didn't expect to win; it just ended faster than she would've liked. Kila glowed warmly in Kaze's hand, comforting her mistress. Kaze cracked a smile.

The female then returned to the smiling bench. "KAZE!!" Sakura cried with a smile as she glomped her friend. Kaze fell to the ground; _apparently_ it didn't matter if she won or lost. "Nice try, Kaze!" Sakura said, unwrapping her arms from Kaze's neck.

"Yeah, Kai's tough! You did the best you could!" Tenshi reassured her as she pulled the team captain off of the ground. As Kaze regained her balance, her Korean friend popped up in front of her.

"Totally! If your Wing Strike had actually hit, **Kai's** blade would've been soaring, not yours!" Hiniku piped in. Kaze smiled at her friends. It was amazing how encouraging they can be… even when the match was over.

"It's ok, guys! We still have one win under our belt for this match. All Tenshi needs to do is win the tiebreaker!"

"Yeah! All I have to do is beat…" Tenshi's voice caught in her throat. Her smile froze. Realization dawned upon her like a nightmare. She slowly turned her head back up to the dish… where Kai Hiwatari stood for the tiebreaker match. She turned back to her friends with a grim expression.

"I'm screwed."

Hiniku rolled her eyes. "Oh, puh-lease! Stop being such a scaredy cat!" The Korean began to push Tenshi toward the dish. Sakura came up next to her.

"Yeah! If anyone can beat him, it's you Tensh!" she told her. And to emphasize her point, Sakura helped Hiniku and gave Tenshi a hard shove toward the dish. The chocolate-haired female stumbled forward, now only a few steps from the dish. Opening one eye, Kai shot her a challenging glare. A chill went up her spine.

Shooting one look back at her teammates, Tenshi walked back up to the dish. A determined façade covered her features, but her insides were churning. She pulled her launcher back out and loaded her blade. Kai stepped back into blader stance with a cold, but still fiery glare. Tenshi mirrored his stance, suppressing the chills that went up her spine. Assuming the bladers were ready, Jazzman continued.

"HERE IT IS FOLKS! The tiebreaker! Will Tenshi's luck withstand Kai's fiery wrath?!" The crowd roared. Jazzman proceed. "3! 2! 1!"

"LET IT RIIIP!" Tenshi cried out. Her worries and frustrations were released as she yanked the ripcord. Her crystal blade flew into the dish, spinning laps around it. Tenshi released a soft moan as blood began to trickle from her wound from the previous match. But she couldn't pay it another thought. Tenshi would need everything to win this.

Kai launched Dranzer with a grunt. It was almost like déjà vu. As soon as Dranzer landed it was upon Mangetsu like a wildfire.

The difference: Mangetsu was fighting _back_.

As Dranzer continued its barrage, Tenshi's blade would push back with a surprising force. Dranzer clashed again with Mangetsu; sparks erupted from the collision. Kai watched the dish, slightly intrigued. This female before him struggled against Tala, yet was trying to hold her own against _him_.

Tenshi had her eyes on the dish and her mind focused. She watched again as the two blades bounced back from each other. _C'mon, Tensh!_ She thought to herself. _The team's counting on __**you**__ for this one!_ Knowing she shouldn't, but doing it anyway, Tenshi spared a glance at Kai. Little did she know of the determined, crimson eyes that would be glancing back. Their eyes locked for a brief moment before Tenshi shook her head furiously. When she opened her eyes, she only focused on the dish. But only her blade was visible. _YOU IDIOT!! WHY DID YOU LOOK UP?!_ Her mind screamed at her.

Furiously, Tenshi's chestnut orbs scanned the dish. There was a glint from her right and she froze. "Mangetsu! Evade!" Her blade swerved to the left, just in time to avoid a direct hit by Dranzer. Her sigh of relief was cut off abruptly as Kai's blade made a quick u-turn and rammed back into Mangetsu. Mangetsu flew across the dish and danced wildly on the rim of the dish.

"Dranzer!" Kai called to his bit-beast. Tenshi's heart skipped a beat; she knew what was coming. "Blazing Gigs!" As the flames began to engulf the dish, Tenshi called out to her blade

"MANGETSU!!"

There was a collision of light and fire. The rising flames swirled around the light. A moment later, the flames receded and the light disappeared. Kai prepared to call back his blade when a voice cut him short. "Hey, Kai. The match ain't over yet!"

Kai opened his eyes to see not one, but two blades still spinning in the dish. A flicker of surprise went through his crimson eyes. No one, but Tyson that is, withstands his Blazing Gigs. No one. Her blade was scratched and scarred, but nonetheless, still spinning. Not only that, but the disappearance of the light also revealed another thing. Another _bit-beast._

Mounted upon Tenshi's blade was a mighty phoenix. With angelic white wings and blue tail, Mangetsu shrieked a mighty caw. The phoenix had an icy star across its chest and a blue banner that from its head in the wind. "Mangetsu! Sword of the Heavens!" Tenshi commanded with a swing of her arm. Without a sound, Mangetsu charged down into the center of the dish with an amazing speed. The front of the blade glowed white and seemed pointed. Like the tip of a sword.

Without another word, Dranzer picked up its flames once again, the difference being that this time around the flames were blue. Kai wanted to end this **now**. Another second raced by before the two collided. There was a second, but greater, explosion. An intense, bright light and flames danced around the dish. Tenshi used her good arm to shield the array of lights from her eyes. Kai stood strong on the opposing end. It was all down to this.

Not a word was spoken as the dust cleared. A cloud of smoke dissipated from the dish. The crowd held their breaths. When everything was gone, the dish was revealed. It lay in shambles; cracks and crevices crept across it every which way. As her eyes looked upon the dish, Tenshi released a moan and fell to her knees. "Mangetsu…" she breathed.

There was only one blade spinning in the dish: Kai's. The other blade lay worn, scarred, defeated. Though no emotion was betrayed through Kai's eyes, his stature was that of triumph, of confidence. He called back Dranzer and walked back to his bench.

Tenshi, on the other hand, sat there for a moment. Her face remained passive as she heard as Jazzman announced the Blitzkrieg Boys as the winners, but words didn't register. She had _lost_. Not only that, but she had failed her team. Soundlessly, she picked Mangetsu up from the cracked dish and stared at it. Chips and cracks ran everywhere on it. Her bit-chip gave a soft, momentary glow of comfort for its mistress. Slowly Tenshi turned and walked down the steps to the bench. Awaiting her return, Sakura ran up to her sister and gave her a huge hug.

"You fought well, Tensh!" she told her. Hiniku came up next to her.

"Yeah. It's ok; it was only one match." Any trace of her usual negative sarcasm was gone from the Korean's voice. Tenshi turned to look at her teammates in the eye.

"Yeah, well it's not quite like home around here," Tenshi said spitefully. "It may just be 'one match' back home, but this **World**, guys! **One** **match** is all it takes for a team to fall out of the tournament!"

All three of the girls sighed in unison. Once again, Tenshi was taking things seriously. "It's **O.K.**, Tenshi!" Kaze picked up. "It's a double elimination tournament! We aren't done here yet!"

Tenshi's chestnut orbs relaxed slightly, though her posture remained stiff. "Alright. But you know what this means…"

The rest of the team noticeably stiffened. They knew all to well what this meant. A smirk snaked its way to Tenshi's lips as the girls hung their heads in despair. "More _training_!" they groaned. Tenshi laughed slightly, her moods lifting at the comical sight of her friends.

Meanwhile on the other side of the stadium, the Blitzkrieg Boys stood as Kai reached them. Tala had a smirk on his pale features. "Nice job, Kai," he congratulated as Kai walked past him. The other Russian said nothing, just continued his way out of the stadium. Shooting one last glare at the Winged Guardians, Tala followed after him, the rest of his teammates in tow.

**N E V E R**

"Ouch!"

"Stop **squirming** and it wouldn't **hurt**!!"

Tenshi moaned as she held out her arm for her sister. With a satisfied grin, Sakura began once again to dab the alcohol on Tenshi's forearm. The scratch stung as the liquid seeped into the wound and Tenshi let out another small hiss. Sakura shook her head sadly from side to side.

"Honestly, Tensh, grow up!" she started. Putting the cotton ball down, Sakura picked up a roll of bandage and began to wrap it slowly, but tightly around Tenshi's forearm. "I mean, you're a **black** **belt** in Martial Arts; you get beat-up in sparring all the time at home, but as soon as you get a **cut** you're a big baby!"

The rest of the group chuckled while absentmindedly watching the T.V. there in the locker room. It was common knowledge to the team that Tenshi was a fighter. Heck, they were all even there when she got her second degree black belt. Tenshi frowned. "Hey! Bruises and black eyes are different!" she attempted to justify, "_Cuts_ are a totally different story! They **STING**! Big difference compared to numbed pain!"

Sakura laughed again before stepping back. "Whatever you say, Tensh!" Tenshi flexed her bandaged arm, as if testing it, **daring** it to start stinging again. Her older sister frowned at her. "Don't over do that arm! If you do, it'll never heal!"

It was Tenshi's turn to smirk. "Sakura? Since when have I ever actually listened to your medical advice?"

"Never," sighed Sakura.

"Exactly!" And with that, Tenshi turned to her other friends. "What're you guys watching over there?" she asked.

"The news on the last match," Kaze distractedly reported, her silver eyes never leaving the screen. Confusion glazed her features.

"What could be so interesting?" Sakura voiced and Tenshi rolled her eyes. It was soon becoming apparent that if the match didn't involve Rei then it wasn't 'interesting'.

"Well, this news IS interesting!" Hiniku commented, her eyebrows furrowing in puzzlement. "The circus freaks didn't show up for their match."

Tenshi's eyes widened. "The Shinigamiz didn't show up?" she asked. Kaze nodded as she switched the screen off. Then she finally turned to look at the baffled sisters.

"Yeah; they even gave them extra time to get here. Nothing."

"Who wouldn't show up for their match?" Sakura asked. Her question was more directed at Tenshi than anyone else. Tenshi shrugged.

"I dunno. Either they were held up or they're confident enough that they'll win the rest of their matches."

Kaze once again agreed, but then her eyes widened and began to sparkle. "But it was good they didn't show! They were going to face Rei's team!" This seemed to instantly rejuvenate Sakura's interest in the conversation.

"Rei?! Ah, well he would've showed them who's who!"

The shaking of Tenshi's head discouraged Sakura's claim. "No way, Sakura." As she began to protest, Tenshi held up a hand to cut her off. "You didn't see their battle, Sakura." A clouded look crossed Tenshi's chestnut orbs. "They were so **dark**, you guys. It was as if their opponent was _nothing_. Nothing but another target to crush." Tenshi looked up at her friends. "Rei's team is lucky they didn't have to face them, that they can even stay in the tournament! These guys… something's wrong with them…" Her voice trailed off, as if in deep thought. A grim silence fell upon the group.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Tenshi, Sakura, and Kaze looked up abruptly at Hiniku's sudden shout. A sheepish grin was on her face. "Sorry. Couldn't take the quiet. He he…" The group sweat-dropped at their friend. Sakura then stood.

"Well, no matter. They're still in; **we**, on the other hand, should get going!" She stretched. Kaze followed in suit.

"Yeah! There's a couch calling my name back at the suite!"

Tenshi and Hiniku then stood as well as Kaze began to lead them out into the hallway. As they proceeded down the hall, a soft sound of footfalls echoed from behind the group of females. It wasn't until Tala, Kai and the rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys began to shove coldly by them that they paid any heed.

"HEY!" Hiniku cried as the redheaded blader pushed by her. Tala turned slowly to face her, a cold glare on her face. The rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys halted, waiting for their teammate. "What was THAT for?!"

Tala sneered. "Oops. I didn't see you down there."

Hiniku glared back at the Russian blader. "Oh! Crackin' short people jokes, huh?" she asked stepping up to him. One glance at the difference made her smirk back. "Well it seems that you're only a couple inches taller! So if I'm short, what are YOU?!"

Tala lost his sneer, but his cold edge remained. "A better blader who's actually fit to **be** here at the World Championships, unlike others…" His icicle orbs eyed the group of females. Hiniku's temper flared again.

"Excuuuse me?!" A smirk wound its way back onto her lips. "At least I can safely and easily say I've **won** all of my battles, unlike others…" It was her turn to glare pointedly back at Tala. His glare sharpened at the Korean. This girl was starting to seriously get on his nerves…

"You've only fought two battles. Total. The entire competition," the redhead returned. His other team members, Bryan and Spencer, looked at each other. This was turning into an all-out battle of words. Kai just gazed on at the group, leaning against the nearest wall.

Hiniku then snorted. "Yeah: two battles. Against **the WORLD CHAMPION TEAM**! How many times can YOU actually say you went against them and won?" She pretended to think for a second before sneering again at Tala. "Oh, that's right. That would be **ZERO**!"

Tala clenched his fists and grit his teeth. "Why you little…"

Hiniku started forward as well. "Who're you calling LITTLE?!"

"STOP IT!" Tenshi cried as she stepped in-between the two quarreling bladers. Tala glared at her with sharp eyes and Hiniku stepped back with a huff. Tenshi only paid heed to the latter. "Hiniku! C'mon, let's just go!"

"But, Tenshi! He started—"

"Hiniku!" Tenshi's sharp tone cut her short. Hiniku shot one last glare at Tala before walking around them to meet up with the rest of her teammates. Breathing a sigh, Tenshi turned and began to walk away. That is, before Tala spoke again.

"So that's how it is? That's right; listen to your _**weak**_ friend!"

**BWAM!**

Before Tala even knew what was happening, he was thrown back a few steps by a mighty hook punch to his jaw. He staggered back, his hand raised to touch his jaw. Kai's eyes widened slightly before re-narrowing. This was definitely not planned.

Tenshi breathing staggered from the sudden force exerted from her fist. In a sudden fit of rage, Tenshi pushed Tala back a little more. She held her finger up to his face, which had been contorted to a mixture of his usual cold composure and surprise.

"Listen to me, you little punk!" she began. Kai started. There was a cold edge to her voice that actually resembled his and his teammates. "One! Don't make fun of my friends! And two!" she stepped closer, practically breathing into his face. Her chestnut orbs bore into his icy blue ones. "…_I_…**am ****NOT** _**WEAK**_"

Tala's eyes flickered from anger to astonishment and back. A hard look still on her features, Tenshi stormed by her teammates and down the hall. Kai couldn't help but watch as the female lost her cool, an eyebrow of his raised. What was that all about?

The remaining Winged Guardians gave each other a nod. Kaze then ran after Tenshi and Sakura marched up to Tala, Hiniku standing close behind. "WHAT THE **HECK** IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" they shouted in unison. Sakura poked an accusing finger at Tala.

"What is **YOUR** issue? Wait, scratch that. I DON'T CARE!" Sakura ranted, a tone full of venom. "Listen to **me**, Tala! **Shut-up**, **bug off**, and get your **pitiful** excuse for a **HEART** checked out!" At the end of her words, Sakura gave Tala a smack across the face. Tala glared daggers back at her. Obviously pleased by her work, Sakura walked off as well down the hall, Hiniku in tow. But as the Korean turned the corner, she looked back at the group of Russian bladers. She first glared at Tala, but when he glared back, she poked her tongue out at him and walked off.

It was silent in that part of the hall for a moment, excluding the growls emanating from Tala's throat. The rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys said nothing. The only reason they hadn't intervened is because if Tala got in an argument, Tala could handle it.

Apparently not.

Soundlessly, Kai pushed off the wall and brushing by Tala, he called in his monotone. "Tala?"

The redhead looked up at Kai with ice in his aqua eyes.

Kai smirked at him then continued down the hall, but not before adding, "Who's the loser _now?_"

**S T O P**

"Well, is everyone here?"

Mr. Dickinson's eyes scanned the room full of familiar faces. It was later that afternoon and Mr. D had called for one of the periodic Team Captain Meetings. As they waited for Mr. Dickinson to continue, Max and Tyson chatted animatedly about the day's matches. Rei sat next to them, nodding and putting in input at some times and Kai barely acknowledged his former teammates seated next to him. Other team captains chatted amongst themselves around the room. They were spread sparsely around the room, though everyone avoided the corner where the cloaked Shinigamiz captain sat.

Rei looked around the room, a frown crossing his features. "Hey, where's the Winged Guardian's captain?"

Max then looked about. Confusion caked his sweet face. "Yeah, where's Kaze?" Tyson muttered something about 'girls' and 'shouldn't be blading' under his breath. Exasperated in the slightest, Max sighed instead of rebuking his friend. Tyson was still sore about the match the other day. And when Tyson's sore about something, he won't let it go. Ever.

Mr. Dickinson frowned as well. "Yes, indeed. Where is she?" he queried. No one in the room had anything to offer. All the response he got was shrugs. He sighed. "Well, there's no more time to waste idly. We have to begin." Shooting another furtive glance at the clock and the door, the BBA chairman took a seat at his desk. Leaning over the desk to look at the group of representatives, he crossed his hands under his chin.

"As you all certainly know, in two day's time we will be departing for the second stage of the tournament." He took the nods from around the room as signs of acknowledgement and continued. "But seeing as we were able to complete the first stage in two days, tomorrow—"

The elderly man was cut off as the door was flung open. Every head turned as a disheveled Kaze stood in the doorway. Sweat fell from her brow and was leaning against the doorframe, out of breath. Upon everyone's eyes turned onto her, a flush crept to her cheeks. Soundlessly she took an open seat on Max's other side and nodded for Mr. Dickinson to continue. Bringing everyone's attention back with a cough, the chairman continued.

"As I was saying: since we were able to complete stage one in two days instead of the scheduled three, tomorrow will a free day for all teams." There was a look of relief that flashed from face to face in the group. A free day was always appreciated. As Mr. Dickinson droned on about details of departure, Max leaned subtly towards Kaze.

"Hey! Why were you late?" he whispered. Kaze leaned over towards him to respond.

"Sparring with Tenshi. She's having a bad day."

No more needed to be said. Nodding in understanding, Max leaned back in his seat and tuned back in as Mr. Dickinson drew the meeting to a close.

"Also, all eliminated teams are free to come to the next stage, courtesy of the BBA and for your participation in the tournament. So everyone remember: we leave in two days for New York, so be sure to pack up tomorrow night!" Taking this as a dismissal, the group of captains stood and headed for the door, most going to prep their teams. As the teams filed toward the door, a soft murmur trickled through the group.

"HEY!" A shout called through the room. Everyone froze and the bladers looked back at Miguel as he stood in the back of the group. Kaze followed his gaze and her heart gave a stop at the cloaked figure. The Shinigamiz captain had stopped as well, though he stood with his back to everyone. She could only help but watch as Miguel strode up to the blader. There was a fire in his eyes that burned intensely. Miguel put a firm hand on the Shinigamiz's shoulder. "HEY! I demand to know why you destroyed my teammate's blad—"

Abruptly, Miguel was cut off as the masked male whirled around and shoved him against the wall. Miguel struggled for breath against the male's forearm. The rest of the bladers were frozen, as if glued to the floor. The Shinigamiz Captain said nothing and a moment later dropped Miguel to the ground for stalking off down the hall.

As some of the other members gathered around Miguel, Kai slinked out into the hallway. He glanced both ways down the desolate hall. No sign of anyone. Kai narrowed his eyes. _Just what __was__ that?_ Kai thought to himself. Without another word, the Russian blader strode down the hall and made his way down to the lower levels. Little did he know of the cloaked figure that watched him with careful eyes…

…

Stepping foot on the first level of the BBA building, Kai walked down the hall. Previous World Champions' faces stared blankly in their picture frames as Kai passed them. As he came to the end of the hall, the last three portraits had one thing in common.

Tyson.

The first of the series had all of the BladeBreakers: Rei, Max, Tyson, and himself. The one after it had Tyson and Max. Then the last had a whole new set of bladers with Tyson. The BBA Revolution had won last year. Kai's eyes narrowed as Tyson's face smiled back at him, trophy in hand. Kai glared one last time at the portraits before continuing into the room ahead of him. It didn't matter who'd won in the past. There could only be one World Champion. And this year, it would be **him**.

Kai walked into the BBA training room. The lights shone bright ahead and the room was empty. The dishes were dulled with slight scratches and blade scrapes. There were also specialty dishes; the ones they tend to use randomly for the rounds. There was one dish with long poles that stood straight up placed randomly around the dish at close intervals. Walking up to that specialty dish, just when Kai was about to ready his beyblade, he heard it. A loud slam came from the opposing side of the training room. Kai, reacting from the sound, turned to the source. Upon sight, his crimson orbs flared in recognition.

Tenshi continued to kick the hanging punching bag with a fierce intensity. Headphones adorned her ears. Sweat poured from her brow. She was panting heavily, but didn't stop or even slow her pace. Tenshi just continued, kicking the mess out of the bag and throwing a few punches here and there. She didn't even seem aware of Kai's presence in the room.

He shook his head and averted his eyes back to the dish. No matter. He would still train. Swiftly, Kai pulled Dranzer out of his pocket and loaded it. His eyes honed in on the dish and he yanked the ripcord. Dranzer flew into the center of the dish. Focusing on Dranzer, Kai's blade began to swerve and dodge the tall poles with apparent ease. So Kai stepped up the speed. Dranzer began to push faster and Kai trained his gaze on the obstacles around it. In response, Dranzer made the sharp turns and swerves. Time for another challenge. Kai mentally cried out to his beyblade, and Dranzer obeyed. With a sudden explosion of speed, Dranzer pushed faster than ever and straight into a pole. As it flew back in the air, Dranzer bounced off another pole. But due to its rotation speed, it didn't fall. No. It bounced higher. And higher as Dranzer repeated the process for the next few poles. And then it hit the end of the line, as Dranzer was perfectly balanced on the top of a pole.

Kai smirked. Dranzer had been able to complete the task with relative ease. That meant there was only one more thing left to do: pick another challenge. As Kai contemplated as to what to do next, an echoing **THUD!** resounded through the room. Then there was silence. And more silence…

Curiosity getting the better of him, Kai glanced to the other side of the room. His eyes narrowed. Tenshi was no longer kicking; actually she was being very still… unconscious on the floor. A few more moments went by and she didn't move. Kai stood there, conflict in his mind. On one hand, she was the competition. Kai could just leave her; it was her own fault for working herself to the point of faint.

On the other hand, she was a fellow blader. She was bound to do this at one point or another and she could hurt herself and be out of the tournament. Kai released a sigh and began to make his way toward her still form. As heartless as others are led to believe he was, even **he** wouldn't leave wounded to tend for themselves. He kneeled next to Tenshi and put two fingers to her neck. A pulse. She was breathing. Next Kai put his hand to her forehead. No fever. Another good sign. So it was only a light case of dehydration, just enough to cause her to faint.

His eyes scanned the room until he found what he was looking for. He saw a bench against the wall and next to it a water tank. But then Kai's crimson orbs traced back to Tenshi and the Russian grunted. Gently, Kai slipped his arms under Tenshi's legs and back. With ease, Kai lifted her toned form from the floor and into his arms. Quickly, he crossed the room to the bench and laid Tenshi onto the wooden bench. As he straightened back up, a small voice resonated through the room.

"… I'm… not… **weak**…" Tenshi mumbled weakly. Kai narrowed his eyes. Was she awake? When another minute went by without any movement, he took that as a 'no'. Continuing, Kai strode to the water tank. Taking one of the plastic cups next to it, he filled it with water and went back over to Tenshi. As her mouth was already parted from speaking, Kai just trickled a bit of water down into her mouth. Her throat eagerly swallowed. He repeated. When her throat allowed the water to flow down it, Kai placed the cup to the side of the bench and stood. Then he heard it again.

"… I'm not… **weak**…"

Kai's cold, unwavering gaze rested upon Tenshi. Her words echoed through his mind. '_I'm not weak_'_, what's that supposed to mean?_ Kai thought to himself. Then his memories of the day resurfaced. Specifically, the argument between Tala and the Winged Guardians.

**FLASHBACK**

"_STOP IT!" Tenshi cried as she stepped in-between the two quarreling bladers. Tala glared at her with sharp eyes and Hiniku stepped back with a huff. Tenshi only paid heed to the latter. "Hiniku! C'mon, let's just go!"_

_"But, Tenshi! He started—"_

_"Hiniku!" Tenshi's sharp tone cut her short. Hiniku shot one last glare at Tala before walking around them to meet up with the rest of her teammates. Breathing a sigh, Tenshi turned and began to walk away. That is, before Tala spoke again._

_"So that's how it is? That's right; listen to your __**weak**__ friend!"_

_BWAM!_

_Before Tala even knew what was happening, he was thrown back a few steps by a mighty hook punch to his jaw. He staggered back, his hand raised to touch his jaw. Kai's eyes widened slightly before re-narrowing. This was definitely not planned. _

_Tenshi breathing staggered from the sudden force exerted from her fist. In a sudden fit of rage, Tenshi pushed Tala back a little more. She held her finger up to his face, which had been contorted to a mixture of his usual cold composure and surprise._

_"Listen to me, you little punk!" she began. Kai started. There was a cold edge to her voice that actually resembled his and his teammates. "One! Don't make fun of my friends! And two!" she stepped closer, practically breathing into his face. Her chestnut orbs bore into his icy blue ones. "…I…__**am **__**NOT **__**WEAK**__" _

**END FLASHBACK**

He frowned. _Is that what she's talking about? She's still thinking about what Tala said?_ Why any female would take that so seriously to the point of exhaustion was beyond him. Anyone would be offended, but to take it that personally…

Kai looked away from Tenshi. It didn't matter and he didn't care. He walked back to the dish. Dranzer was still spinning atop of the pole in the dish. Calling back his blade, Kai re-launched. Dranzer soared back into the center of the dish with a renewed strength. Kai adjusted his focus. Time for another challenge. "Go! Dranzer!" Kai commanded. And the blade obeyed. With speed and power, Dranzer tore past some of the poles in the dish at a dangerous proximity. As Dranzer reached the other side of the dish, Kai waited. A moment later, the poles fell one by one, a slash through each of them. Kai opened his mouth to command Dranzer again when he was cut off by yet another **THUD!** from behind him. This time he didn't even bother to turn.

Tenshi sat up from the ground she's just fallen to. "Ow… what the crap…?" she muttered while rubbing her head. She glanced up at the bench she'd fallen off of. "How the heck did I get there…?"

"You fainted."

Tenshi was startled by the cold voice that responded to her question. She turned to see Kai looming over the dish, his back to her. She must have hit her head hard. She closed her eyes, then looked over again at the dish. Yep; it was Kai. She rubbed her head again. How long had he been there?

"E-excuse me?" she asked.

"You fainted from a light case of dehydration and exhaustion."

Tenshi looked over at the punching bag then back at the bench. If she was knocked out, how did she get across the room? Her chestnut orbs searched the room for anyone else. No one. Wait… no one is here… Tenshi then glanced at Kai's back. She didn't even need to ask and she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. "Oh, **crap**." She got no response. Tenshi, slowly, stood up from the ground. Her legs wobbled slightly. When she got her balance, Tenshi steadily made her way towards the bag. She knelt down to pick up her fallen headphones and iPod, and then made her way back towards the door.

Kai listened as Tenshi walked to the doors behind him. There was the sound of sliding feet and a soft smack as skin hit wall. He didn't have to glance back to know she'd toppled into the wall. "Hmph. If you want to make it to the hotel alive, I suggest you drink some water." The sound of running water reached his ears, then the sound of it being swallowed. Hearing nothing more, Kai was able to concentrate back on the dish. That was before he was interrupted **again**. Tenshi's soft voice cut through the silence.

"Thank-you, Kai."

Kai remained silent and concentrated on the dish. The door clicked to a shut. The only sound that resonated through the room was the whirring of Dranzer in the dish…

**M Y**

"TENSHI! TSUKINO! HIKARI!!"

Tenshi rolled her eyes as she stepped into the suite. It seemed all Sakura was doing today was yelling at her. Sakura ran over to her, her cocoa eyes brimming with irritation. "What took you so long to get back?!"

Hiniku jumped up in-between the two sisters. "YEAH! You've never been out that long! Besides, Kaze came back over an hour ago!"

Tenshi rubbed her temple and gave the two an exasperated look. "I can practice on my own too, ya know…" She pushed past her two friends. "And now I'm EXHAUSTED! I'm hittin' the sack. G'night!"

Sakura and Hiniku stared after Tenshi as she ambled lazily into her and Sakura's room. They looked at the door, then back at each other. Both whipped out their hands started pounding their fists into their hands.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors… SHOOT!"

Hiniku smiled as Sakura's rock beat her scissors. "HA! You get to deal with Tenshi!"

Sakura smirked at the Korean. "Yeah, but that means you get her NEXT time! And did I forget to mention that she's WORSE when she's PMSing?"

Hiniku scowled at the African-American as she sauntered off into her and Tenshi's room. Before walking in, Sakura threw one more smirk at Hiniku and left her. Hiniku pouted.

"Stupid scissors…"

…

Sakura slipped into the room without a sound. Her cocoa eyes rested upon her sister's eagle-spread form on her bed. "Tensh? You awake?" she whispered. Tenshi sat up with a small yawn.

"Yeah, I'm still awake." Tenshi crossed her legs and straightened up. She yawned again. "What's up, Sakura?" Sakura sat across from Tenshi on her own bed. She watched as Tenshi got up to crack the balcony door. "Sorry," she apologizes, sitting back across from her sister. "It's a little hot in here."

Sakura gave Tenshi look-over and Tenshi stared back at her with a bemused expression. "Are you sure your okay, Tensh? You **were** gone a little longer than when you usually are when you get ticked…"

Tenshi shook her head lightly. "Yes, Saku. I'm fine. Just a little tired." Tenshi gave a small laugh. "Who knew Tala could be so annoying? I always thought they were exaggerating on T.V."

Smoke seemingly seeped from Sakura's ears. Grabbing her pillow like the other night, Sakura began to start slapping it around. "Stupid Tala!! Him and his 'I'm-Heartless-Look-At-Me' attitude… ARGH!!" Sakura ranted. Tenshi chuckled. She would never change.

"It's fine, Sakura. That's just who he is—"

"But, Tensh! He called you…" Sakura looked fervently back and forth across the room before whispering, "… the 'W' word."

"You mean 'weak'?"

"ACK! You said it!" she shrieked. Tenshi couldn't help but be amused at her sister's spasms. They were just too funny. Sakura leaned in closer to Tenshi. "But seriously, Tensh. He called you that. Not only do we all know you're not, but last time someone called you that…" Sakura trailed off as pain flickered briefly in Tenshi's eyes. Tenshi lowered her eyes.

"I know, Saku," she said in a small voice. Glancing back up at her sister, Tenshi gave her a soft smile. "Besides, Tala didn't know. You can't condemn him for something he didn't do intentionally."

Sakura pouted. "Pft! As if he would care even if he knew…"

Tenshi shook her head. "Still, Sakura. Lay off; what's done is done." The female yawned again. "And **I** am going to bed." She leaned over and turned off the lamp. Darkness enveloped the room. "G'night, Saku."

Sakura sighed in surrender. "Goodnight, Tensh." With those last words, Sakura slinked back out of the room. Just because Tenshi was going to bed, didn't mean SHE had to. As the door clicked to a close, total and complete silence enveloped the room. The stars shone brightly outside in the Russian skies. The cracked door was forgotten.

Little did Sakura and Tenshi know, a certain blue-haired Russian was seated outside on his balcony, and had heard everything…

**H E A R T**

**Well, and that's the chappie. Once again, please forgive any mistakes and OOC-ness (well, it seems OOC, but it's actually just awkward because he's never been put in a situation like that, therefore we don't know his exact reaction). XD Things are going really well with this story and a good bunch of people are enjoying it. So thanks to all you readers and especially to you reviewers. It's appreciated immensely to have support. Hopefully I'll be posting next month if I can keep this momentum going. Well, till next time! BEWII!**

**Mishi-chan**


	6. Winter Wonderland or not?

**Never Stop My Heart **

**By Mishi-chan**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade (it belongs to Takao Aoki), but I do own Tenshi and the Winged Guardians' bit-beasts; MuraSakura owns Sakura, Invisible Love owns Hiniku and my partner-in-crime, Kaze-kun, owns Kaze.**

**A/N: Yay! I'm back again! This story is looking good so far, so please keep this fic in your prayers! XD So anywayz, I'm glad you all are enjoying this; I know I enjoy writing this story. Usually I tend to write with a purpose or a message that I want to bring across (hence my one-shots), but this is the first full blown-out fic I've started that's actually going somewhere. So, here is the more humorous chappie of ****Never Stop My Heart**

**P.S.: We all **_**do**_** know that italics are thoughts, not quotes, right? … I hope so… XP**

**This chappie is dedicated to two people this time! First to ****rebelmewphoenix**** for adding this fic to her favorites list. You rock chica! And second, to ****GhostByNumber**** for his support and welcomed feedback! Not to mention being part of the male minority of That automatically makes him awesome! Rock on, dude!**

* * *

"Tenshi…" a singsong voice called. Tenshi ignored it and kept sleeping. "Tenshi…!" the voice called more urgently. A frown crossed the female's face as she continued her slumber. There was huff. Then… 

"TENSHI!! WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP, **WAKE UP!!**" A mighty force began to jump furiously up and down on Tenshi's bed. Tenshi awoke in an instant.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" she screamed as she was jostled. Sitting upright, her chestnut eyes focused upon the Korean that was jumping up and down on her bed. Hiniku kept jumping and jumping until she finally realized her friend was awake. Tenshi stared blankly at Hiniku. "What… the crap?"

Hiniku smiled perkily. "Tenshi! It's a FREE DAY TODAY!"

Tenshi blinked wearily; she was clearly not awake. It sounded like Hiniku said it was going to be a 'free day' today. Tenshi tilted her head. "What did you just say?"

Hiniku rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, still standing on the bed. "I said today's a free day."

"You must be kidding me; we're in the middle of the World Championship Tournament. There are no such things as 'breaks' and 'free days'," Tenshi responded as she climbed out of bed. She stumbled out of the room and stretched her arms as she walked into the next room.

Kaze was lying on the couch watching the television. A generic-brand muffin sat half-eaten in her hand. With a small yawn, Tenshi strode into the kitchen area and took a seat on the counter. Grabbing a nearby apple and taking a bite, she watched as Sakura sat at the kitchen table and absentmindedly poked at her cereal while watching the television. Some milk drooled from the corner of Sakura's mouth. Tenshi chuckled.

"Saku-chan? Is wearing your breakfast a new fashion?"

Abruptly, Sakura looked up with a startled glint expression. Her eyes traveled down to see milk drip from her mouth. "AAAHHH!" Sakura started, furiously dabbing the milk from her face. Tenshi continued to laugh, much to Sakura's dismay. She received a glare in return.

"Shut-up, Tensh," she retorted tiredly. Apparently _someone_ didn't get enough sleep last night. Hiniku filed out Sakura and Tenshi's room with an annoyed face. The Korean put her hands on her hips with a huff.

"Guys! Tenshi doesn't believe me!" Hiniku complained. Tenshi simply rolled her eyes.

"Hiniku, I told you: there are NO such things as breaks—"

"Hiniku's right, Tensh. There are no matches today," Sakura interrupted. There was a silence as it sunk in. The gears slowly started to awaken in Tenshi's mind. Her eyes slowly widened.

"We actually have a free day?"

Sakura nodded. Hiniku was indignant.

"DUH! That's what I just said!!" she fumed. This time both Sakura and Tenshi rolled their eyes. Kaze turned from her position on the couch to look back at them.

"Yeah, Mr. Dickinson told us yesterday at the Team Captains' Meeting. I got to tell Hiniku and Sakura before bed last night."

"And she would've been able to tell YOU, too, if you hadn't stayed out so late!!" Hiniku added on.

"Thanks for the comment from the Peanut Gallery!" Tenshi sarcastically remarked. Fuming, Hiniku marched up to her friend and teammate.

"Are you callin' me short!?"

"No, it's a saying, a phrase!"

"Sure! That's what you want me to believe!"

"Are you callin' me a liar?!"

"So what if I am?!"

"Why you—"

As the two bickered on and on, Kaze and Sakura stared on wearily. "It's **way** too early for this…" Kaze started. Sakura just shook her head.

"You should've known this was going to happen as soon as they both woke up."

Kaze nodded in sad agreement. Eventually it seemed that the two had finally found an end to the argument… or they just got tired of fighting. Tenshi and Hiniku stood in the center of the room and looked at their teammates.

Taking a bite from her apple, Tenshi started, "So, since we have the day off, I think we should—"

"RELAX!" Hiniku interrupted. Sakura and Kaze broke out into smiles.

"Oh yeah!" they cheered joyfully. Sakura and Hiniku began to dance happily for their reprieve. Irritation arose within Tenshi. She began to tap her foot in annoyance.

"NO!" she growled. Immediately they froze in mid-dance. Sakura turned wide-eyed to her sister.

"No way…"

"Yes way; we should spend it _training_!" Tenshi corrected. The way she annunciated the word send a tremor through their spines. Hiniku was the first to complain.

"**WHAT?!** But we're already doing well—"

"—And then we lost, Hiniku. We can't afford to lose **again**," Tenshi picked up. Her tone was spiteful again. Sakura and Hiniku glanced at each other. They weren't going to get out of training; Tenshi had that glint in her eye. The glint that just seemed to scream "We're-gonna-win-this-or-someone's-a-dead-man". The girls hung their heads in despair.

"WAIT!!" Kaze suddenly cried out. Hiniku and Sakura were drawn abruptly from their misery and Tenshi's glare shifted. Kaze cackled. "We are NOT training today!"

Sakura sighed. "Kaze, you just heard Tenshi. And when that child gets a notion into her head…" She trailed off as Kaze's smile widened mischievously. The girls could practically see the horns arise.

"Ah, yes, Sakura. But is Tenshi **team captain**?"

Tenshi's breath caught in her throat while Sakura's grin deepened. "Why, no, she's _not_!"

Fuming, Tenshi marched up to Kaze. "Kaze! You can't do this to me! C'mon, you know we really need to train!"

Kaze just shook her head with a sigh. "We all know you really want to win this, but we all deserve a break. Besides, this is how I became team captain in the first place, remember, Tenshi?"

Tenshi grumbled and crossed her arms with a huff. "No, it was because you all started a _mutiny_ against me!"

"BECAUSE YOU WERE A TRAINING-TYRANT!!" Hiniku exclaimed. The memories of Tenshi's strenuous training sessions rippled through her mind. A shiver went down the Korean's spine. Kaze nodded.

"Once again, we all know you want to win this. And because I let you create the training regimen when I became captain, we're doing well."

"So if we want to continue doing well, we need to keep it up!"

"But even Mr. Dickinson, BBA Director, realizes the teams need to take a break. That's why he gave us the day off. We don't need to be blading every day."

Defeated, Tenshi hung her head despairingly. She looked up at Kaze with a sigh. Tenshi said, "I'm not gonna win this argument, am I?" Kaze just shook her head happily. With another roll of her eyes, Tenshi huffed. "Fine then," she surrendered. "We'll take the day off." The rest of the team erupted into cheers. Tenshi cracked a smile… that slowly shifted into a smirk. "But **I** get to choose what we do today…"

Everyone froze again. With terrified looks, they stared back at Tenshi. Her smirk curled into a smile as she said, "And I declare that we go ICE**-**SKATING!!"

"**NOOOOOOOOOO!!**"

The group turned to stare incredulously as Hiniku dropped to her knees, screeching and begging. "PLEASE!! **Anything** but _that_!"

Sakura couldn't help but give her a confused look. "What? It's just ice-skating. It doesn't matter if you're good; it's actually a pretty cool idea considering we're in Russia."

Hiniku leapt up and clutched Sakura by the shoulders. "No, you don't understand, Sakura! I'm BEYOND bad: I'm HORRIBLE! I fall, and fall, **and** **fall**, scraping my hands, and getting big, ugly, blue bruises all over my knees! It's horrible, Sakura. JUST **HORRIBLE**!!"

The group of girls rolled their eyes. "You can't be good at everything, Hiniku," Sakura chided. "Besides, I promise we won't push you."

Hiniku's gaze rested upon Sakura's, thoughtful and speculating. "You _promise_?" she asked warily.

The African-American nodded. "Yes, we promise not to push you," Sakura confirmed. Tenshi smirked.

"Much."

The one word sent Hiniku back into a rant. Whirling around to face her sister, Sakura glared at Tenshi. "What'd you say that for?!"

As Sakura advanced upon her, Tenshi put her hands up in a futile defense. "What? I was just kidding!" Tenshi claimed. She looked around Sakura to catch Hiniku's gaze. "Seriously! Hiniku, I was just kidding! I promise not to push you."

Hiniku's eyes searched Tenshi's for any sign of lying. She found none. Her eyes then traveled to each of her friends' faces before resting on Sakura's gaze. Grudgingly, she gave in. "Okay, I'll go ice-skating."

Tenshi and Kaze high-fived each other while Sakura gave her Korean friend a bear hug. "Thank-you, Hiniku!" Sakura chirped.

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

Cheering for a few more moments, the girls then split back to their rooms to get ready. Then (after getting layered up for warmth), the Winged Guardians made their way out of the building. On the way to the elevator, Sakura wasn't walking. She was running.

"We're going ice-skating! We're going ice-skating!" She sang as she ran ahead to the elevator. But, not watching as the elevator opened, Sakura ran straight into someone's hard chest. She let out a yelp as she fell backwards. Bracing herself for the impact, Sakura clenched her eyes shut.

But there was no impact.

"Sakura!"

Sakura heard her friends' shouts, but it was another voice that called her name this time. A very **masculine** voice. Slowly, Sakura opened her eyes… only to be met with a pair of golden ones. She found **Rei** staring back at her. It was a whole other moment before she realized it was Rei's arm wrapped around her waist that was keeping her from falling.

"Are you okay?" Rei asked. He had a smile on his lips and concern in his eyes. Sakura could feel the heat arise in her cheeks. She numbly nodded as Rei pulled her back onto her feet. Rei chuckled. "So, where were you off to in such a hurry?"

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but it wasn't her who replied. "We're going ice-skating," Hiniku spat, spitting out the word 'ice-skating' like it was a curse word.

"Really? You must really like to ice-skate since you were in that much of a hurry, Sakura," Rei commented, smiling.

"Not really," she admitted. Leaning closer to him, Sakura whispered, "I'm just happy that we're doing that instead of training!"

Rei's eyes widened in realization then he laughed. "Well, that's one way to get out of it!"

Sakura soon found herself laughing with him. From behind Sakura, Tenshi rolled her eyes, smiling nonetheless. But on the other hand, a wave of jealousy swept over Kaze. Walking over to the two bladers, Kaze stepped tactfully between them. She grinned up at Rei and spoke somewhat shyly.

"Hey, Rei? You want to join us?" Kaze queried. Immediately, Sakura's face lit like a light bulb.

"Please?" Sakura pleaded with a grin. Rei's eyes traveled from Sakura to Kaze, then rested on Tenshi and Hiniku.

"As long as you all don't mind," Rei said to the last two girls. Before either could reply, Sakura stepped up quickly to obscure his view of them.

"Of course not! We don't mind!" Sakura interjected.

Rei's face brightened as he flashed a fanged grin. "Great!" he exclaimed. "Let me go get ready and I'll meet you girls down in the lobby." Giving each of them a nod of acknowledgement, Rei then continued down the hall. As soon as he disappeared into his suite, Sakura rounded on Kaze.

"HA! Rei saved me from falling! He totally likes ME more than you!"

Kaze fumed. "Oh yeah?! I invited him to go with us because YOU were too busy laughing to ask!"

"He only accepted after I confirmed it!"

"Darn you, Sakura!"

"Ya wanna bring it—"

**DING!**

Abruptly, both Kaze and Sakura whirled to the sound. Hiniku and Tenshi had stepped into the elevator. They could only watch like deer in headlights as Hiniku and Tenshi waved goodbye and the doors closed. Sakura and Kaze looked at each other and screamed.

"HEY! WAIT FOR US!!"

**N E V E R**

"**AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!**"

"HINIKU! WATCH OUT!!"

Tenshi could only gaze on in horror as Hiniku collided face-first onto the ice… again. Skating over to her, Tenshi kneeled by the face-planted Korean. "Hiniku: are you making out with the ice again?"

Hiniku glared up at her so-called 'friend'. "No, I'm giving it a high-five with my head! What do you think, dummy?!" she remarked sarcastically with a tinge of spite.

Rolling her eyes, Tenshi helped her friend to her feet. "You really need to be more careful, Hiniku."

"I would be if the ice wasn't so dang slippery"

Tenshi could only sigh. Glancing to her side, she found Sakura skating alongside Rei… and Mariah and Lee. Rei, being completely oblivious, didn't notice Mariah and Sakura's frequent scowls at each other. Tenshi couldn't help but snicker at her sister's situation.

Earlier, when Rei was meeting up with the girls, he had surprised them by bringing along Mariah and Lee. It was true enough to say Kaze and, even more so, Sakura were not pleased by these additions.

Tenshi's gaze then drifted to Kaze. Watching, Tenshi saw Max as he skated next to her, chatting animatedly. It was clear Kaze was itching to get between Rei and the other girls. But, being the polite person she was, Kaze stayed and conversed with Max. It didn't seem too bad; Kaze was laughing at whatever Max was saying at that moment.

Yes, that was another surprise. On the group's way out of the lobby they ran into Max. When he found out they were going ice-skating, he wanted to come, too. So how could they refuse?

And thus, the huge group of bladers had made their way out of the hotel and to a local ice rink. It was an outside rink. The open Russian air around them was chilling, but the sun shining bright in the sky eliminated any darkness. No clouds hung in the sky. It was beautiful, wintry, and yet fun. The piles of snow called their names to be stepped on and made into snowmen. It was the definition of a 'Winter Wonderland'.

"AAAHH! Crap!"

Hiniku's shout shook Tenshi out of her reverie. Tenshi sighed as she glanced over at Hiniku, who was clinging onto the railing for dear life. Ice glittered under Tenshi's feet as she skated towards her friend.

"Hiniku…" Tenshi sighed, helping her friend back to her feet. In response, Hiniku scowled.

"I told you I was horrible!" she defended. Rolling her eyes, Tenshi groaned in exasperation.

"Hiniku, are you really that uncoordinated that you can't manage to stay on your feet for more than thirty seconds?"

"NO!" Hiniku claimed. She watched as Tenshi gave her a snort of disbelief. "That time I was on my feet for a full… thirty-two seconds…" she added sheepishly.

Giving her Korean friend a smirk, Tenshi said, "See? Barely."

"Shut-up!"

"Fine, I just won't help you then!" Tenshi retorted. As Hiniku's face abruptly winced, Tenshi skated slowly away from her. A smirk was on her face.

"Good luck!" Tenshi cooed in a singsong voice. She turned away from Hiniku and continued to skate away. It was only a matter of time…

Hiniku gazed at Tenshi's retreating form then looked worriedly down at her feet. She shot them a scowl, as if it was her feet's fault for making her such a klutz on ice. Warily, Hiniku slid one foot forward. It slid with ease on the crystal ice. Daringly, she slid her other foot shortly after it. It went in a perfectly straight line. A simper lit Hiniku's face with confidence. "HA! It's not so hard—AAAHHHH!"

Just as Hiniku took her hand off the railing and tried to slide forward, she was suddenly reacquainted with the hard ice. She screamed in mid-sentence as her feet flew from underneath of her. Her back throbbed in pain as it slammed against the ice. Slowly, Hiniku sat up. She winced. "Ow…"

"So not only do you lack height, but also balance and coordination?"

A cold voice sneered at Hiniku. She glanced warily up above her only to lock onto Tala's icy gaze. The redheaded Russian was leaning lightly on the other side of the railing. Hiniku's eyes narrowed into a glare as he arrogantly continued, "That's a pretty miserable existence."

A growl resonated from her throat. She tried to jump in protest, but fell miserably back onto the solid frost. A conceited snigger rumbled within Tala. All Hiniku could do was glare up at him (as she was hopelessly rooted to the ice rink). A shadow soon fell over Hiniku and a peach hand reached out to her.

"Need a hand?" Tenshi asked, leaning down to help her friend. Shooting Tenshi a grateful grin, Hiniku grasped onto Tenshi's hand and pulled herself up. Finally able to see over the railing of the ice rank, Hiniku realized Tala wasn't the only familiar face there. His entire team was grouped near him. Inching little by little to the rail, Hiniku glowered her eyes into his.

"There is nothing wrong with my existence, thank-you very much!" she retorted in malevolence. A pair of skates skid up next to her. Tenshi balanced next to Hiniku and glared at Tala.

"Is there a problem, Hiniku?" Tenshi queried. As if reminding Tala of the day before, she began to crack her knuckles. There was no noticeable reaction from Tala. However, if one looked close enough, they would've seen his eyes flare. One person who did notice was Kai.

Off to the side as an innocent bystander, Kai gazed on as the confrontation continued. The scene was almost like déjà vu; a reoccurring theme. He shifted his gaze to the female next to Tala's 'victim'. Her entire stature and attitude seemed to be back to normal. There was no hint of last night's events. A smirk snaked its way onto her lips. As she began to turn around, her gaze caught onto his own. Crimson met chestnut for a moment. With a shake of her head, Kai watched Tenshi as she skated away from the group.

Hiniku had cried out to her friend as Tenshi skated away. Tenshi skated farther away, then whipped back around towards the railing. She raced faster and faster towards them; it seemed as if she was trying to purposefully run into it! Just as she was about to collide with the railing, Tenshi flipped her skates to the side to slide to a halt. Bits of shredded frost and ice flew up and hit Tala in the face. Hiniku began to laugh her butt off, Tala glared at the two females, his teammates were attempting to withhold their snorts, and Tenshi just smiled sweetly back at the redhead.

"Problem solved."

The two girls high-fived each other triumphantly. The fuming Tala, shaking off the snow and shooting them one last fierce look, turned on his heel and stalked off. His teammates, Bryan and Spencer, followed like loyal lapdogs. Kai waited until they had passed them to begin to go on. But before that, crimson locked again with chestnut. Tenshi put a sincere smile on her lips and mouthed to him two simple words: 'thank-you'.

His eyes lingered for a moment longer, and without another note of acknowledgment, Kai turned to go after his teammates. Tenshi grinned softly as he walked away. Hiniku, who had been glaring at Tala's retreating form, looked over at Tenshi. Noticing the faraway glint in her chestnut orbs, Hiniku followed her gaze to Kai. A leer curved her Korean lips.

"See something you _like_?"

Abruptly, Tenshi whipped around to face Hiniku. "WHAT?! No! It's not like that—"

"Pft! Yeah, right!" Hiniku leaned in towards Tenshi with an accusative smile. "I saw the way you looked at him. That could mean only one thing: Tenshi Tsukino Hikari has a **CRUSH**!"

Tenshi quickly clamped a hand over Hiniku's mouth. "Shut-_up_!" she hissed through gritted teeth. Hiniku's laughter penetrated through Tenshi's trapping hand. Tenshi could feel her eyes narrow. "Hiniku, it's not like that!" Hiniku's laughter ceased. There was an edge to Tenshi's voice. No humorous glint lit her chestnut orbs. Hiniku breathed as Tenshi removed her hand and continued.

"I respect him. He's a powerful blader, a strong rival, and is dedicated to the sport of Beyblading. But," Tenshi leaned in glared deeply into Hiniku's eyes, "I do **not** have a crush on him."

With those parting words, Tenshi swerved and skated back along the ice rink. Hiniku could only watch with sad eyes as her friend's figure slid gently farther away. '_Tenshi… when are you going to let_ _that_ _go…?_'

…

"So, Rei: have you ever been ice-skating before?"

Sakura smiled gently at the object of her affections. Rei grinned back at her, his tiger-like fang gleaming. "Depends on what you mean: ice-skating like this, or slipping and walking on ice with your shoes on?"

The cocoa-skinned beauty laughed. "Either."

"In that case, I've only done the latter of the two." The two continued to glide side by side and laughed like old friends. Little did Rei notice the steams of anger emanating from his pink-haired teammate.

Mariah grumbled incoherently under her breath. Who did this new girl think she was? Rei's girl? The pink-haired mop snorted. '_As if that would ever happen!_' Mariah thought to herself. Mariah took pride in knowing Rei since childhood. Rei's always known her as well and they had an unbreakable bond. There was no way that some blader hot-off-the-street would catch his eye.

Her reverie was shattered by another round of giggles from Sakura. Mariah's eyes slid into a glare. '_But, just to be on the safe side…_' Mariah skated closer to Rei and shot Sakura a smirk. Unnoticed by Rei, sparks flew as Sakura sneered back. Turning the other cheek on Sakura, Mariah grinned innocently up at Rei. "Hey Rei! Remember that one time when the waterfall froze over back home?"

Rei chortled nervously. His gaze shifted to Mariah. "How could I forget?"

Mariah giggled along with Rei and Sakura just skated along bemused. She tilted her head. "Um, not meaning to sound stupid, but what's so funny?" Sakura questioned the two neko-jins. Mariah took this as a chance for her to rub her relationship with Rei into Sakura's face.

"You had to be there!" Mariah smiled to the cocoa-skinned beauty. The smile was sickeningly sweet. Sakura wanted to hurl. And she wanted it to be directed at Mariah's as-always too pink outfit.

Rei looked back over at Sakura and she immediately made her face void of all negativity. He suppressed his laughter long enough to explain. "You see, Sakura, when the waterfall froze, so did the water in the pool beneath it."

"It was the perfect ice slide!" a familiar, arrogant voice commented. Sakura turned to see Lee skating beside her. Before Sakura could make a remark, Rei continued.

"Yeah! We were doing flips, tricks, all kinds of stuff on it. We practically slid down it all day—"

"—Until SOMEBODY almost got herself killed!" Lee finished. He shot a pointed look at his sister. Mariah looked away and huffed.

"It's not like I wanted to get hurt!"

Sakura snickered as the siblings bickered. She was surprised to hear Rei chuckle alongside her. Looking up at him, Sakura listened in fascination as Rei continued the tale. "Yes; Mariah originally didn't want to slide down the falls. She claimed it was 'too dangerous'." Lee laughed at that point. Sakura ignored him and strained to hear Rei. "So when we finally convinced her to go down the slide, _that's_ when the ice decided to give out."

"Stupid, heavy sister!" Lee grumbled scornfully. It was obvious Mariah wanted to reach over and slap her older brother, but since she was in the presence of Rei, she controlled her urges. Sakura scoffed at Mariah's dismay. Rei just rolled his eyes and finished the story, used to the sibling arguments.

"When Mariah finally went down the ice slide, the ice in the pool broke under the pressure. Mariah almost drowned in that freezing water."

Sakura stared wide-eyed at Rei, then Lee, then Mariah. Her voice was a little shaky. "Um, I don't quite see the humor in that…" she said at last. As much as she didn't like Mariah, even she could agree it was cruel for her own friend and brother to take that as a laughing matter.

Rei shook his head and Lee gave another hoot. "You're right; but the funny part came after that when Rei pulled her out and almost had to give her CPR!"

"SAY **WHAT**?!" Sakura screeched. Sakura's eyes bulged to the size of golf balls and Lee just waved her exclamation away as he continued.

"Yeah, you should've seen Rei's face! We were only eight years old; we didn't know what to do! And our leader here was all ready to give Mariah a kiss, thinking that was how you were supposed to do CPR!"

A blush flushed Rei's cheeks and Sakura noticed. Whether it was out of affection for that moment or embarrassment, she didn't know. But she did hope it was the latter. Mariah smirked at Sakura before giving Rei a smile and a light nudge. "Oh, c'mon, Rei! There's no need to be shy about it! You were ready to save my life!" she cooed. Sakura grimaced.

Rei looked at Mariah with a small grin and nodded his thanks. The jealousy was beginning to overwhelm Sakura; she could feel the anger boil up to her face. She was like a balloon that was just about to pop.

"But as soon as Rei leaned over to kiss her, Mariah woke up and coughed water right into his face!"

And the balloon deflated as Sakura burst out into a fit of laughter. Alongside her, Rei chuckled. "It was NOT a pleasant experience," he said. As Sakura's laughter continued, Mariah glared at her arrogant brother.

"That wasn't funny, Lee!" she hissed. Her golden eyes flared. Surprisingly, Rei nudged her in the side.

"C'mon, Mariah! You've got to admit it was kind of funny!" he sided. It was physically impossible for Sakura to contain her laughter at that point. The look of shock on Mariah's face was just _priceless_! Suppressing her amusement for a moment, Sakura parted her lips to speak when—

"HEY GUYS!!" Kaze chimed as she skid up behind Sakura and Rei. But as she slowed to a stop, Kaze lost her balance. Instinctively, she latched on to Sakura's sleeve as she regained her stability.

"AAAACK!" Sakura shrieked as she slipped on the ice from the sudden weight. Her world started to spin around her and seemed to be farther away. Just as Kaze uprighted herself, Sakura crashed onto the hard ice. Landing on her side, Sakura's head snapped back and hit the ice.

She began to sit up slowly. Sakura rested her hand on her head and rubbed the sore spot. A moan escaped her lips. Kaze knelt next to her friend. "Crap… are you okay, Sakura?" she queried, worry glazing her silver orbs. Sakura nodded slowly.

"I'll be fine, though I do feel like I've been run over by a truck."

"You tend to get that feeling when you hit your head," a male voice commented. Slowly, Sakura looked to her other side to see Rei kneeling next to her. His eyes held that familiar concern again. "Are you okay, Sakura?"

She beamed weakly and replied, "Yeah. I just hit my head. _Accidents_," Sakura shot a pointed look towards Kaze, who smiled sheepishly back, "Accidents happen. I'm just having a lot of them today," she finished. Rei stood back up, grinning, and reached out a hand for her. If her head weren't pounding, a blush would've spread across her cheeks. But she gave him a soft smile of thanks, taking his hand and pulling herself warily to her feet. As her skates gave way to slip, Rei caught Sakura around her waist and steadied her. Their gaze met and Rei chuckled.

"You really are an accident magnet, aren't you?"

Sakura didn't reply; she broke into laughter. Her laughter was contagious as it spread like a virus. Soon Rei was laughing in unison with her. Little did they realize two other groups looking on at them; specifically, two females watching on in envy.

Kaze stood from the ice and gazed at her best friend. A twinge of jealousy and heartbreak struck her heart as Sakura clung to Rei. She witnessed them laughing, joking; it almost hurt to watch. On the one hand, she was so happy that Sakura, one of her best friends, was able to find such a great guy to crush on. Rei really was sweet. On the other hand, it hurt because she also liked Rei and here was her best friend getting so close to him. As the two feelings conflicted within Kaze, a pair of skates skidded up next to her and stopped.

"_Somebody_ by the name of Kaze has a crush on Rei."

In alarm, Kaze whipped around to face Max. His freckled face beamed back at her. Warmth heated her cheeks and she immediately tensed. "No I don't! Where would you get a ridiculous idea like that?" she proclaimed. Max shook his blonde head with a grin.

Noticing her still-wide eyes, he said, "Relax; I'm not going tell anyone!" Something in his voice and tone reassured her. And his eyes: his eyes rang with a childlike sincerity. Kaze nodded and looked back at her friend, who was now back to arguing with Lee. Rei was still by her side; it was apparent he had given up on breaking up the fight. A grin slipped onto Kaze's face.

"But Sakura likes him too… I just don't know what to do," Kaze confessed. She froze as the words left her mouth. She had no idea why she was telling this to Max; they had just met, not to mention one of Rei's friends. "I would talk to Tenshi, but just between us," she leaned in closer to Max to whisper, "Tenshi's not so good with the whole 'crush-advice' thing."

Max nodded. "What about Hiniku?" he asked. Fright returned to Kaze's eyes.

"You don't know because you don't know Hiniku, but once she know who you have a crush on, you. Are. DOOMED!"

"She can't be that bad," he laughed. Seeing the grim expression on Kaze's face, he stopped.

"You have no idea," she breathed. "Besides, the team usually comes to me for advice."

The White Tigers were moving on, Sakura with them. Turning back, she hollered, "Yo, Kaze! You coming or what?" Rolling her eyes, Kaze looked back at Max.

"And that's our cue; let's go!" As she started forward, Max put a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"Well if you _do_ need someone to talk to, I'm here," Max said. A cute, cat-like smile played on his lips. Kaze flashed him a grateful grin and the two began to skate their way back to the others.

"Max? You're a pretty cool guy."

"That's what my mom says."

The two burst into hysterics. Coming up on the group, Sakura shot them a questioning brow. "Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not."

"Then I won't ask," Sakura concluded. She turned back to Rei and started talking again. Exchanging sly grins, Kaze and Max then joined in as well. But all were completely oblivious to the other envious female.

Mariah trailed behind them slightly; not enough to be noticed, but enough to not be included. Her golden orbs flickered angrily between Rei and Sakura. Sakura started laughing again and Mariah's blood boiled. Rei was her man! HER'S! Then this wannabe beyblader comes out of nowhere and just takes him from her? No, she wasn't going to have that. At first she thought he was just humoring a fan; nothing more, nothing less. But now they were getting friendly and she didn't know what to think. He'd decided to go ice-skating with her and now gets all concerned about her. She watched as Rei listened to her; the way his eyes were intent on what she said. The lines between humoring and interested were getting blurry. _Just wait, newbie,_ Mariah thought. _Rei is mine. And he'll never be yours. Not if I have anything to say about it…_

**S T O P**

The rest of the day went by like a ride on a carousel: fun and playful, but always comes to an end. And so the day did. The sun slowly began to set in the Russian skies, casting burning shadows upon the fallen snow. And upon ice-skating beybladers.

Sakura plopped down onto a nearby bench with a laugh. "Gosh, I haven't had that much fun in a while!" she claimed. Kaze took a seat next to her, chortling.

"Yeah! Probably since we started training for the tournament!" Kaze agreed. Memories of Tenshi's asinine training sessions floated through both of their minds. They flinched.

"Hey, you'll be thanking me for those sessions when we win the tournament!"

The two Winged Guardians looked up to see Tenshi and Hiniku leaning over the ice-rink railing. Sakura smirked. "We better or Daddy Frying Pan will give you a visit!" The mere thought of that freakishly huge frying pan that she carried around at times was just frightening. It was Tenshi's turn to flinch. A couple more bladers skated up to them, familiar and friendly. Rei led his team out of the rink and onto the benches where Sakura and Kaze were seated.

"It's getting late and we still have to pack up, so we're going to go back now," he said as he untied his skates. Lee and Mariah proceeded to take off their skates as well. The Winged Guardians glanced up as Max also stepped out of the rink.

"Rei's right. I've been gone all day and we leave in the morning. That's not good when I haven't even touched my suitcase."

After a chorus of "see ya later", the girls watched as the others waved farewell and started the trek back to the hotel. Sakura and Kaze looked back at their teammates. "We probably should be heading back," Sakura moaned. The thought of packing all of her clothes and gear just seemed horrifying. Kaze nodded in accord.

"Sakura's right. We won't have time to pack before check-out in the morning." Kaze cleared her throat, and then continued, "So, as _team captain_, I declare this day off a success and now we need to go back to the hotel to pack!" She grinned from ear to ear, feeling responsible. Tenshi rolled her eyes and shot Kaze a pointed look.

"Kaze, stop trying to act smart. It's not working out too well."

Kaze puffed up her chest and glared lightly at Tenshi. "I AM smart! I don't need to _try_ when I can succeed!"

"OO! Succeed! Such a big word for you, 'oh-mighty-team-captain'!" Tenshi snickered. Then she sneered. "But how do you spell it?"

"S-U-C-K-S-E—IT DOESN'T MATTER! I'm smart and that's what counts!" Kaze flustered. Hiniku laughed openly and Sakura struggled to suppress her own chuckles.

Tenshi just smiled sweetly at her captain. "Yes, captain. You are the smartest dumb person I have ever met!"

Kaze grinned in satisfaction and crossed her arms. "See? That wasn't so hard—HEY!!"

The girls broke down into a frenzy of hilarity, with Kaze glaring at Tenshi at first, then succumbing to a smile. The sun began to drop further down onto the horizon and the shadows became longer. Taking a breather from laughing so hard, Sakura smiled back at the group. "Well, I'm going to head back. I need to pack up my stuff," she announced as she stood. Her tan-friend stood up next to her.

"So am I," Kaze concurred. "Are you two coming?" she asked, noticing Hiniku and Tenshi still on the ice.

Just as Tenshi was about to reply 'yes', Hiniku responded with, "Nah! I'm going to stay a bit longer." Sakura and Kaze looked at Hiniku as if she had sprouted two heads, their eyes sparkling with disbelief. The one who never wanted to go to begin with was now asking to stay longer. Something was off…

Shooting a quick glance at the Korean, Tenshi answered, "Yeah; we're going to stay a bit longer! I wanted to stay, so she's staying to keep me company! Right, Hiniku?"

"Y-yeah! I'm being the awesome friend you all know I am! Is there a problem with that?" Hiniku picked up. She crossed her arms and stared pointedly at Kaze and Sakura. They looked at each other for a moment before shrugging.

"Okay. We'll just see you back at the hotel, right?"

Tenshi nodded to her sister's question. "Of course! We need to pack too, ya know!"

"Yeah, we'll be along soon. Tenshi just wants to stay a bit longer!" Hiniku tagged on. Kaze and Sakura, once affirming AGAIN that they were indeed coming back and were NOT abducted by aliens, left. As their friends walked away down the street, Tenshi turned on Hiniku.

"What are you up to?"

Hiniku growled in surprise from the sudden change. "What makes you think I'm up to something?"

"C'mon! After the huge fit you threw this morning about ice-skating you sincerely want to continue? I'm not buying it," Tenshi explained. Hiniku squirmed under Tenshi's scrutinizing gaze. "I'm waiting…"

"FINE!! I want to practice more!" Hiniku screamed into Tenshi's face. She huffed and turned away, arms crossed. Tenshi couldn't help but chortle.

"Now why couldn't you just tell me that?"

Hiniku's gaze averted down to the ice that shimmered beneath her feet. "It would've been easier if you all didn't make fun me about it…" she grumbled. Tenshi started. That was a new one. Concern glossed her chestnut eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hiniku," she apologized. Tenshi made her way over to Hiniku. "You know we don't mean it like that. We were just playing around. I'm sorry that THAT is the reason you couldn't tell us the truth flat out." Tenshi outspread her arms. "We cool?"

Hiniku glanced up to look Tenshi in the eye and smirk. "Yeah, we're cool," Hiniku accepted. She leaned towards Tenshi and Tenshi gave her a sisterly hug. Seperating, Hiniku continued, "Well, now that you know the truth, you can go back now, too."

"Who said I was leaving?" Tenshi flustered.

"I'm not a little kid, Tenshi. I can watch after myself."

"This isn't like home, though. Knowing your sense of direction, you'd probably get yourself lost in the streets of Russia!"

"What's WRONG with my sense of direction?!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE ONE!"

"YES I DO!"

Tenshi crossed her arms. "Pft, right. What about the time you got lost in an empty subway?"

"The map was wrong! It was the map's fault!"

"Because you were holding it UPSIDE-DOWN!!"

At the moment, Hiniku and Tenshi were glaring daggers at each other. If looks could kill, both of them would be dead. Eventually, Tenshi sighed. "You promise you won't get lost again…?" she inquired hesitantly. Hiniku nodded surely.

"I don't make the same mistake twice!" Hiniku responded.

Tenshi felt like slapping herself. '_Yeah, more like three or four times!_' she thought in exasperation. But that's not what she said. "Okay, Hiniku. But if you get lost, call one of us on our cell phones, okay?"

Rolling her eyes, Hiniku retorted, "Thanks for the amazing amount of faith you have in me." But one look from Tenshi made her resign. "Fine; I'll call you all if I get lost."

Seemingly satisfied, Tenshi nodded. "Okay then…" Sliding off the ice, she took off the skates and slipped her sneakers back on. "I'll see you later, Hiniku!" Tenshi waved to Hiniku as she walked away. After Tenshi's form was no longer visible in the distance, Hiniku relaxed.

'_She's so protective of this team…_' she thought. Some things just wouldn't change. Hiniku released a sigh, and then her gaze turned onto the ice rink before her. Glaring darkly at it, she mumbled, "Bring it on!" Through the course of the day, Hiniku had managed to be able to skate slowly, but soundly. Taking unhurried, steady steps, Hiniku began to make her way around the rink. Carefully, she stepped up the speed. Soon she was going faster and faster, but she was in control. It wasn't reckless, it was fun. Hiniku started to laugh. "HECK YEAH! BEAT THAT YOU STUPID ICE!" Not only a moment later did she slip and fall. But this time it didn't matter; Hiniku knew she could get up and do better.

She rose up and began to skate around again with ease, like it was second nature. A smirk snaked onto her lips. "HA!" she shouted, "What NOW, Tala?!"

As she continued to laugh and skate around the rink, she didn't notice the red-haired blader that was walking nearby and heard her…

…

"CRAP!"

Hiniku ran her hand through her hair. The moon glistened above and the snow was crunching beneath her feet. " 'Call me if you get lost'," Hiniku mocked her friend, stomping down the Russian sidewalks. "Well I can't if my cell phone is at the HOTEL!!" she growled.

About an hour after Tenshi left, Hiniku had decided to go back, finally satisfied with her current skating abilities. But what happened? She got lost.

Now an hour AFTER that, Hiniku continued walking through the streets of downtown Moscow. Aside from the occasional streetlamp, only the moon lit Hiniku's path. Nobody was around; the city's people had tucked in for the night. Tall buildings loomed every which way.

"ARGH!" Hiniku fumed again. "Why didn't I go back with Tenshi?! Not only am I lost…" she stopped near a street corner, "but Tenshi is NEVER going to let this one go! If I ever get back…" The last comment made her glance around her. She was alone. Lost. In a place she doesn't even know.

…crunch.

Hiniku tensed, but then relaxed. There was no one there but herself. She was just imagining the sound. As she made a move to start forward again, she heard it.

…crunch …crunch …crunch.

There was no mistake this time. The sound of snow crunching was coming from behind her. She gulped as she started to walk again. If it were someone who could help her, chances are they wouldn't be out late on the Moscow streets. Not daring to look back, Hiniku evenly turned on the street corner. If she could stay calm until she could find help, she was fine. There was just one problem with that plan: that wasn't a street corner she turned on.

It was an alley.

"Crap!" Hiniku hissed. When she whipped around, she suddenly wished more than ever that she had gone back with Tenshi. For before her was a group of boys. A group of Russian boys. A group of Russian gangsters.

Well that's a new one.

The pack closed up the alleyway. Hiniku tensed as one began to walk forward. He began to speak to her with a sordid sneer. But she couldn't understand him; he was speaking Russian. If it weren't for the situation, Hiniku would've been bursting out laughing. Russian was DEFINITLY not the language of love.

He stopped speaking, now only a couple feet away from Hiniku. She scrambled for the right words. "Um… I no speak no Russian?" she tried, trying to lay on her heaviest Korean accent. Living with her Korean parents for most of her life did have its uses after all.

But that seemed to only make things worse since the whole group started to cackle and moved closer. Hiniku took a deep breath and got serious, dumping her fear out of the back of her mind. She had to think of a way out of this. Her eyes scanned the pack before her. As far as Hiniku could tell, there were three of them, each about a head taller than her. '_So they're bigger than me_,' she thought scornfully. Hiniku racked her brain. What had Tenshi told her about fights like that?

_If they're bigger than you or male, you're odds of overpowering them are slim. The pig-headed male species tends to be the muscles and powerhouses of the human race._

Tenshi's commanding voice broke through her mind. Hiniku thought harder. What else had she told her?

_But!_

Hiniku remembered her telling her this with a grin.

_THAT means you probably have speed. Bigger people tend to move more slowly. Even if it's slightly, that means you have a chance of escape if you're faster._

Hiniku's brain lit up like a Christmas tree. '_That's it!_' she thought to herself. Hiniku then focused back on the three thugs before her. She was no track star like Kaze, but she was fast enough. The first thug must've noticed the change in Hiniku's stance. He shouted something back to his cronies. She didn't have to know Russian to get the picture.

A moment later they all lunged. Within that split second, Hiniku dashed forward. She bobbed and weaved her way around the outreached hands until the third guy grabbed a hold of her from behind.

_Here's something easy; something even YOU, Hiniku, could remember,_ the reminiscent of Tenshi's voice reminded. _When in trouble, always SING._

With a smirk, Hiniku fought back. First, she elbow-thrusted him in the chest.

_S—Solar Plexus._

Her attacker let out a wheeze, the wind knocked out of him. Not wasting a moment, she stomped down where his foot and ankle met.

_I—Instep._

His grasp loosened considerably as he bent lower in pain. Hiniku twisted and punched him in the nose.

_N—Nose._

Blood began to drip from his nostrils. Head wounds always bleed the most. Last, but certainly not least, Hiniku finished the job. With a satisfied smirk, Hiniku gave him a nice, hard kick to where the-sun-no-shine.

_G—Groin._

She didn't spare a moment's glance to awe at her work. Instead, she high-tailed it out of the alley and into the street. Triumph swelled in her chest. '_Note to self: thank Tenshi for the basic self-defense lessons!_'

But just as she was about to relax her pace, she heard them. They were shouting and running through the streets; Hiniku could hear their thudding footfalls. Panic rose to replace the triumph. She sprinted faster. Her lungs were gasping for air. Their thuds were sounding closer and closer with every step. But while running, Hiniku failed to notice the patch of ice caked on the sidewalk ahead.

Hiniku slipped on the black ice. She fell forward, sprawled across the pavement. Her heart racing, she struggled to get up. She dropped back down, wincing at the pain in her ankle. Fearfully, she turned to glance behind her. The other two thugs were almost there. Clenching her eyes closed, Hiniku wished that it would all end quickly. '_Great! This is the end… I'm sorry, Tenshi, Sakura, Kaze… I should've listened…_'

"Yo!"

A cold voice broke her desperate reverie. Stealing a peek, Hiniku saw a tall shadow standing in front of her. Frightened for her well-being, she shut eyes tight again. The voice continued.

"Пойдите теперь, и возможно Вы будете жить."

After hearing more from the voice, Hiniku started to realize that the tenor and icy tone was sounding all-too-familiar. Cautious and wary, her eyes parted. Taking in the figure before her, surprise and complete astonishment overtook her.

"… Tala…?" she breathed. The red-headed blader paid her no heed. Lucky for her because at that moment his sapphire eyes were colder than ice… and they were directed at the thugs. The moment Tala had spoken and glared, Hiniku was the last thing on those guys' minds. Without another word, the two scrambled the other direction and out of site.

Tala turned to face Hiniku, an arrogant smirk on his cold face. "Still having trouble on ice?" he sneered. Any gratitude Hiniku had been holding for Tala was just flushed away as her face puffed up. Anger swelled in her.

"NO!" she retorted heatedly. Tala shot her a dubious eye before proceeding to walk away.

"If that's the case…" Tala trailed off, waving with his back to her. Hiniku's eyes stared off as his figure started to shrink in the distance. She sat there, torn. On the obvious one hand she needed help: her ankle was twisted and she was as lost as ever. BUT this was TALA: the most pompous, self-centered jerk in the history of mankind (in her personal opinion). But what it really boiled down to was this: her pride or her rescue.

Hiniku smacked herself. "Wait!" the Korean called out after the redhead. Tala did not turn around, but he stopped in his tracks. Out of the corner of his sapphire eyes, he could see the frustration and surrender conflict on her features. "I… need help."

As the words left her mouth, her cheeks flushed. But no one would be able to tell between the cold and the dimly lit streetlights. Without another word, Tala strode back over to Hiniku. Uncharacteristically, he put out his hands to help pull Hiniku to her feet. Awkwardly, Hiniku put her hands in his and stood slowly. She wavered briefly, unable to put much weight on her ankle. Almost toppling, Hiniku gripped onto Tala's sleeve for support. He sneered.

"What? Do I need to carry you now?" he mocked. She shot him a glare as she regained her balance.

"NO! I'll be fine!" She started forward… only to nearly tumble to the snow. Next thing she knew, Tala had one arm around her hip and was holding her arm around his shoulders, supporting her. Hiniku grinned meekly. "Okay, maybe I do need **some** help," she admitted. His only reply was a trademark smirk. Together they began back toward the hotel, Tala leading since Hiniku had no clue whatsoever which way it was.

For a while they continued like that: in silence. The only sound was of the icy winds that swept across their paths or the crunching of the snow beneath their boots. "So," Hiniku began, breaking the stillness. Tala glanced at her as an acknowledgement. "Why were you out still anyway? How do you know the way back? What did you say to those guys to make them leave? Why—"

"You ask a lot of questions."

It wasn't a query; it was a statement. But before Hiniku could retort, to her surprise, he continued. "I was just out for a walk. I know the way because I grew up in Russia, and I basically just told those punks to bug off."

Saucer eyes stared at Tala as he half supported half carried Hiniku down the sidewalks. Thinking, Hiniku concluded that to be the longest sentence she's heard him say… when he wasn't arguing with her. She decided that she wanted to push to see how much she could get out of him. "But you still haven't my last question: why?"

Tala's step faltered momentarily. His brow furrowed in thought; his scowl was back on his face. '_Oops_,' Hiniku thought, watching his jaw clench and unclench. But he surprised her once again by actually responding.

"If you thought I knew," he said, "do you think I would actually tell you?"

Hiniku glanced back at him. "Nope!" she grinned. Tala was taken aback by her reply. "But I thought 'what the heck' and give it a shot!"

Tala shook his head sadly. "You are a strange munchkin."

"At least I'm not an anti-social freak."

Stepping out of the conversation, Hiniku finally saw the hotel looming before her. As the two avoided the odd stares from random people still in the lobby, Hiniku sighed. "Well, I guess I should say thanks. I would still be lost without your help." They climbed into the elevator. Doors closing, Tala sneered back.

"Don't forget to mention you would be attacked, more badly injured, and helpless."

"Just shut-up."

The doors opened with a 'DING!' and they walked down the hall. Tala and Hiniku stopped outside the Winged Guardians' suite. Hiniku reached into her pocket when her eyes bulged. She fervently began to pat her pockets down in a search. Tala rolled his eyes. Not waiting for her to find a key that isn't there, the redhead rapped a couple times on the door. The yelling and noise in the suite ceased and there was a momentary pause as Kaze opened the door.

"HINIKU!!" Kaze exclaimed. Another head popped up in the doorway at the shout. With relief shining in her eyes, Sakura jumped out and hugged Hiniku.

"Oh my gosh! You're okay!"

"Ow, ow, ow, OWWW!" Hiniku shrieked as pressure was put on her ankle. Sakura leapt back, screaming apologies. Head pounding, Tala grimaced.

"Can I come in?" Hiniku heatedly inquired. Both Kaze and Sakura moved out of the way, Tala helping Hiniku move between them. Once inside the room, the redheaded Russian aided the Korean as she lay onto the couch. "Thanks again," she whispered. Tala nodded, but said not a word. And with that, he stalked past Sakura and Kaze and out the door, closing it behind him. The two girls were speechless. Fish-eyed, they looked from Hiniku to the door and back. Exchanging glances, the two walked up and stood in front of Hiniku. '_Oh crap…_' she thought. She knew what was coming.

Silence.

3…

2…

1…

"WHERE THE HECK WERE YOU?!"

"WE WERE WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU!"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU COME BACK WITH TENSHI?!"

"WAS THAT REALLY TALA THAT WAS JUST HELPING YOU?!"

"YEAH! WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?!"

"**SHUT-UP!!**" Hiniku roared. Immediately the interrogation ceased. Hiniku took a deep breath, then started again. "I got lost on my way home; Tenshi was tired and left early; yes, that was Tala, and he was helping me because I think I twisted my ankle. Silence resumed. Sakura whipped out her cell phone and went into the kitchen; Kaze knelt next to the couch and began to examine Hiniku's ankle. Hiniku looked around her. The deafening silence was cut by the sound of Sakura's voice in the next room.

"Hey, Tenshi: Hiniku's back," she spoke. There was a pause before Sakura started again. "Apparently she got lost, but Tala brought her back… yeah, Tala. Long story… Hey! Don't take this all on yourself. She's fine, aside from a possibly sprained ankle… Tenshi, we'll talk when you get back here. Just come back to the room, k? Bye." There was a click of her cell phone being snapped shut when Sakura stepped back into the room.

"Where _is _Tenshi?" Hiniku asked, finally aware of her missing friend. Sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch, Sakura breathed a sigh.

"She's out looking for **you**, Hiniku."

Kaze nodded while turning Hiniku's ankle in various positions, pausing at each hiss of pain from Hiniku. "She felt really bad about leaving you by yourself, and when you didn't come back soon after, she got really worried. Insisting we stay here in case you came back, which you did," she added, "Tenshi went out into town to look for you."

At the end, Sakura's eyes were glossed over. "We're just glad you're okay, Hiniku."

Hiniku just smiled. "Me too, you guys. Me too!"

**M Y**

After much squealing and ruckus from the Winged Guardians, Tala finally made his way back to his team's room. Opening the door, he was faced with the questioning stares of his other two teammates, Bryan and Spencer. One glare at them and they knew instantaneously to back off. Tala continued his way through the suite to his room he and Kai shared. Closing the door behind him, he was unsurprised to see Kai out on the balcony. It had become a thinking place for the stoic captain.

"Why were you helping the Winged Guardian's team member?" Kai asked, not looking away from the snow in the distance. He heard Tala scoff.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because I'm team captain and your friend."

Cold logic only rubbed salt in the wound. Tala stripped his shirt off, and climbed into bed. Kai heard the click of the lights turning off behind him. Hearing soft footfalls, Kai's gaze moved downward to rest upon a familiar female. He watched as Tenshi continued to run toward the hotel doors, her feathered bun bouncing with every step. His eyes narrowed. '_What is it about you girls?_' he thought. Tonight had been the first time Kai had ever seen Tala help anyone with anything. He was befuddled. What was it about this team that just seemed to change everything? Everything in the world of beyblading… and in people…

…

Tenshi threw the door open and flew into the suite. "Hiniku!" she cried out, making her way to her friend. She eyed the bandages on the Korean's ankle. "Are you okay?" she questioned, taking a seat between Sakura and Kaze on the coffee table. Hiniku beamed back at her.

"Yeah! Kaze checked it all out; it's just a minor sprain. See?" Hiniku made the motion to move her ankle when she hissed in pain. Tenshi winced. "Okay," Hiniku settled. "Maybe it hurts, but I'll be fine."

Relief flooded Tenshi's eyes, but her mouth was pressed into a fine line. "But you won't be able to blade the next match." It was a fact. Hiniku nodded sadly. Tenshi's gaze lingered on Hiniku's ankle, untold emotion glassed in her eyes. "If I hadn't left… If I had stayed like I thought I should—"

"Then maybe I would be fine!" Hiniku finished. Sakura and Kaze gaped at her; Tenshi lowered her eyes, guilty. But that was when her tone softened. "But I was bound to get hurt one day or another. Just because you weren't there doesn't mean that's why I got hurt. You can't beat yourself up for everything that happens to us."

Tenshi nodded stiffly, hearing her but not registering it. She became indignant. "But I could've helped you, instead of having to depend on some stranger—"

"It's not a bad thing to have others help you, even when they are pompous jerks," Hiniku reprimanded with a smirk at the end. Tenshi ran a hand through her hair absentmindedly. "Besides, you were out looking for me! The fact that you went back out there redeems you in itself. I don't blame you for anything, Tenshi."

The sincerity that rang through her words finally reached her. Tenshi released a breath and smiled weakly. "Fine; you win."

Hiniku snorted. "Of course I do! No one can beat me in the art of debate!" she claimed, returning to her usual self. Sakura rolled her eyes as she stood.

"Well, I've got some more packing to do in the morning before we leave, so I'm getting some shut-eye! I'm exhausted!"

Tenshi stood, as well as Kaze. "That's right; we leave for the U.S. of A. in the morning. Better get sleep while we can!" Tenshi decided, moving back toward her and Sakura's room. Hiniku's face paled.

"Oh crap."

The other girls sent her a questioning stare. The color had drained from Hiniku's face.

"I haven't even started packing!" she exclaimed. In the midst of all the commotion, fighting, ice-skating, and arguing, Hiniku had totally forgotten that she hadn't started to pack her bag. Sakura let out a loud hoot, Tenshi and Kaze chortling.

"Yep! Well, good luck with that!" Sakura bid. Laughing still, the three girls left the room to go to bed. Hiniku flamed.

"Oh c'mon! Guys? Guys?! A little help here! GUYS!!"

**H E A R T**

**Well, after much summer madness and fighting for inspiration in the middle of SUMMER to write about ICE-SKATING (XP), I have finally finished the chappie. I'm sorry for not posting last month. I was just too busy to type and I needed time to catch up on my writing. So, hopefully I'll be able keep this up! Thanks for reading!**

**Mishi-chan**


	7. Just a Walk in the Park

**Never Stop My Heart**

**By Mishi-chan**

**A/N: YOSHI! It's great to back again! I'm so sorry about the back up of last month's chappie! Summer has that ability to make your life really busy! XD But, hopefully I'm back! I'll try to update monthly if I can help it, but I might have to change it to bi-monthly updates. Life has a way of making you really busy and right now it's making mine worse than summer. XP But I'm not giving up on this story. And you can still count on my annual Christmas one-shot. But this may slow for now. GOMENASAI!! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, but I do own Tenshi and all of the Winged Guardians' bit-beasts. MuraSakura owns Sakura, Invisible Love owns Hiniku, and my partner in crime owns Kaze.**

**Note to the Readers: If you have no knowledge of the game of basketball whatsoever, I would suggest you ask somebody some basic stuff about it 'cuz you'll need it for part of this chappie.**

**This chappie's dedication goes out to ****Ayesha Raees a.k.a. Mrs. Uchiha****! For reviewing and her love for the story. Also to Mistress Persephone for adding this ficcy to her favorites list! You both rock my sox off!**

* * *

The next morning came and went like a blur. Sure, the sun was bright and sparkled upon the laden snow. Sure, it was a beautiful Russian morn'. Sure, the BBA buses were soon to load up and depart from it all. But the Winged Guardians had bigger problems. 

"AAAAAHHHH! I SAID PACK THE STUFF FROM THE TOP DRAWER! Not the BOTTOM drawer!!" a shrill voice cried out.

"OWWW!! HINIKU!!" Kaze howled as Hiniku proceeded to beat her with her crutches. Yes: crutches. As of the 'incident' the night before, resulting in Hiniku's sprained ankle, they were forced to give her crutches. At the time, it seemed like it would help Hiniku get around. Little did they know how _violent_ she could be with them…

Hiniku's lip formed a soft pout as Kaze rubbed her back from the whacks. "I can't help it," she moped. "After all, I was left ALL ALONE last night. I couldn't find my way back and then this—" Hiniku gestured towards her sprain, "—I just can't move like normal. Ionly wanted some help…"

By the end, Hiniku had Kaze on a roundtrip ticket for a 'guilt trip'. Sighing softly, Kaze turned back and started to load Hiniku's clothes into her suitcase. Hiniku grinned smugly; she had won again. A moment later, Tenshi dropped by their room, leaning on the doorway with a quirked brow. "Why do you continue to fall for the 'guilt trip', Kaze?" she inquired. Hiniku glared back at her and poked her tongue out. With a roll of her eyes, Tenshi's gaze shifted back to Kaze. "She isn't that badly injured that she can't pack her own suitcase."

"WHAT?!" Hiniku cried out, arousing both of her teammates' attention. The Korean's face was puffed up, heated. "I sprained my ANKLE! I have CRUTCHES! How am I supposed to pack my bag?"

Tenshi smirked. "Easy," she replied. "Hobble your way over and do it yourself." Kaze snickered as Hiniku stood there, gaping. Crossing her arms the best she could (while still balancing on her crutches), Hiniku gave her a fierce look.

"What happened to 'I shouldn't have left you on your own' and 'You wouldn't be hurt otherwise'. Oh! And how about this one: 'I'm sorry, Hiniku; let me help you out since I believe this is my fault'!"

Tenshi stared amusedly at her injured friend. "Okay, first off: I definitely didn't say that last one, so chuck that out of your mind. And second: I'm back from my personal guilt trip. I didn't like it so much, so I came back early overnight," Tenshi chuckled. Hiniku let out an exasperated sigh, though both were brought back to reality by a loud 'click'. The arguing teammates looked to she Kaze locking up Hiniku's suitcase.

"Done!" she chirped triumphantly. Tenshi frowned bemusedly at her, contrasting with Hiniku's grin of delight. "What?" Kaze shrugged. "I had to do _something_ while you two were at it."

Tenshi practically slapped herself; apparently Kaze hadn't caught on to anything she was saying. Hiniku grinned cheekily at Tenshi. "See? I still win!"

At that moment, Sakura peeked in around Tenshi. "Are we ready to go? The buses are loading up outside," she informed them. With an affirmative, the girls grabbed their luggage (Tenshi carrying Hiniku's) and walked down to the elevator. They made their way outside and dropped their bags off by the luggage compartment. Max was as well, dropping off his duffel when he saw the girls approach.

"Hey, Tenshi! Got enough luggage?" he joked, earning a frustrated glower from the teen. As she walked off to where the other bladers were gathering, Max fell in stride with Kaze. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked. Kaze flashed him a grin.

"It was Hiniku's luggage." Noticing the glance he made toward the Korean's crutches, Kaze added, "Long story. Don't ask."

"I won't."

Reaching the rest of the bladers, Mr. Dickinson started to speak, as the whole group was there. "Alright, everyone!" he said, silencing the crowd. "The BBA plane leaves in a bit for the U.S.; these coach buses are going to take you all to the airport. Now, here are the bus assignments!" The elderly man pulled out a slip of paper from his suit pocket. Clearing his throat, Mr. Dickinson continued, "The BBA Revolution, the All-Starz, White Tiger X, and the Winged Guardians are all on the first bus! I want the Blitzkrieg Boys, Majestics, Shinigamiz, and Fighting Dreamers on the second bus!"

As assignments were read out, the bladers began to file onto the buses. When the Winged Guardians filed on, they instantly greeted with shouting.

"I CALLED THE BACK SEAT,DAICHI!"

"WELL I GOT HERE **FIRST**, TYSON!"

"ONLY BECAUSE YOU PUSHED ME OUT OF THE WAY!"

"SNOOZE YOU LOSE!"

Plopping into a seat next to her sister, Tenshi released a growl, rubbing her temple. "It's like we're back in elementary school…" she grumbled under her breath. Sakura smiled in response.

"Ah, yes. But wasn't it usually you who was shouting?"

Tenshi smirked back. "Only if it was you who took the seat."

Sakura rolled her eyes before looking at the seat in front of her. With a cheeky grin, Hiniku peeked over her seat to face Sakura.

"Great bus assignments, right?" she sneered, motioning to the commotion in the back. Sakura quirked her brow, as if to say 'Do I really need to answer that?'. Hiniku merely chuckled.

"Hey, wait a second!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing an accusative finger at Hiniku. The Korean froze. "You can't pack your own suitcase, but you can sit backwards on a bus?"

The thought struck them. Tenshi gave Hiniku a triumphant look as the Korean glared at Sakura. Hearing the last comment, Kaze also peered over her seat and grinned toothily.

"Yes, Hiniku. Please explain that to us," Kaze jeered. It was officially three-on-one and Hiniku was the one. Just as she was about to retort, the bus gave the sudden lurch of movement. The Korean fell backwards. The rest of the team winced as Hiniku let out a howl of pain.

"Guess now we know she can do neither," Tenshi suggested. Both nodding in agreement, Kaze turned back around for the remainder of the ride.

All of the yelling aside, the rest of the short ride went smoothly. Though in Tenshi's words 'if it had gone on any longer, nobody would've left the bus alive'. They reached the airport with time to spare. Filing off of the bus, the teams eventually then made it passed security and to their gate. From their bus, the Winged Guardians were the last through the gate. As Tenshi searched for open seats, a loud yelp came from her side. Then a brush of wind as two of her teammates flew past her.

"What the crap?!" Tenshi cried, jumping back. She looked up just in time to see Sakura and Kaze flying down the aisle. Hiniku stepped up next to her. "Just what are they racing for…" Tenshi's voice trailed when she saw the cause. There was one open seat next to Rei in the middle lane. Note: there WAS. But somehow Sakura managed to weasel into the seat before Kaze. Tenshi hung her head in shame. "They're horrible."

"Yep!" Hiniku chirped. She then skipped up ahead, plopping into a seat next to Kaze. Tenshi made her way over there, only to stop in her tracks. There were no more open seats by them. Max, Rick, Daichi, and Tyson had already filled the seats next to and across from her friends. Tenshi glanced towards Sakura. Mariah was seated on Rei's other side, and there were no seats open across from them either, as Lee, Gary, and Kevin had occupied the seats by now. With a sigh of resignation, Tenshi took an open seat that was back-to-back with Hiniku's seat. No one was yet seated around her.

Tenshi watched as the other teams filed onto the BBA jet. The second bus must've arrived because the Majestics made their way onto the far side of the plane. The Fighting Dreamers, who dispersed according to the remaining seats, soon followed after them.

Then, the Shinigamiz.

Tenshi held her breath as the four hooded freaks started for seats. But instead of moving towards her, they also sat on the far side of the plane, having a corner all to themselves. As if any sane person would seat near them by choice. Just as Tenshi relaxed, the last team boarded.

The Blitzkrieg Boys stood for a moment, then made their way toward Tenshi. Alarmed, she looked around the plane. Of course; the only open seats left were by her. Reaching into her baggy pocket, Tenshi pulled out her iPod, trying to busy herself. However, she still noticed the cold looks the boys gave her as they seated themselves. She also noticed that none of them sat next to her; Spencer took the seat on the aisle, leaving a seat between them. With Bryan across from him, and Tala next to Bryan, that only meant one thing. Tenshi's gaze lifted to see Kai seated across from her.

Without another glance, she stared out the window as the jet started to take off. The wind serenaded by the jet as it rose higher and higher into the atmosphere. After a few moments, the jet stabilized itself in the air. The clouds hung around it like sheep in a pasture. Sun glistened above, reflecting golden lining to every cloud. Tenshi smiled to herself at the marvelous sight.

Finally, she glanced to her iPod. Putting on a familiar song, Tenshi glanced around her. As BoA blared in her ears, she couldn't help but notice no one around her was saying a word. No, wait. If one were to examine closely, they would find Bryan muttering quietly to Tala next to him. Once again, Tenshi's chestnut eyes were eventually drawn to the blue-haired Russian in seated before her.

Kai was seating soundlessly by the window, staring out. His cold façade on his face, Tenshi couldn't tell if he was interested in the clouds… or just plain bored. Tenshi must've zoned out for a moment because when she zoned back in Kai was staring back at her.

Tenshi's eyes widened. Embarrassed, she turned away quickly to her window. But tried as she might to ignore it, though, her mind wandered from her music. Unwillingly, Tenshi glanced at Kai out of the corner of her eye.

He was still staring, his gaze unwavering. Tenshi shifted uncomfortably under Kai's stare. Moments passed, yet Kai continued, as if confused by her. After what seemed like an eternity, Tenshi gave up and turned off her music. Facing Kai, she spoke slowly, uncertain.

"That was a good match the other day," she said. Kai's eyes grew more alert as she spoke. Continuing, Tenshi tried to ignore the cold stares from the surrounding Russians. "You really pushed me to try my vest and now to work harder. Someday I want a rematch, and I'll win. Just you wait and see!" Tenshi prompted, ending in a smirk.

Kai noticed as a fiery determination lit her chestnut eyes. He didn't know what sparked her to tell him this. Maybe she was like Tyson, who had to boldly declare his intentions. Who knows? He didn't. Guardedly, his crimson eyes traveled to the bandage on her arm; he hadn't noticed it before. When did she hurt herself? Then the matches came back to him, fresh.

**Flashback**

_As the ice and wind began to billow, her chocolate orbs rested upon her crystal blade. "Mangetsu! Marvelous Light!" Tenshi commanded her blade. Just as Wolborg charged in with its icy army, Tenshi's blade, Mangetsu, rushed forward and collided head-on with a blinding light. There was a small explosion in the dish, ice shards flying every-which-way amongst the eruption of light. An ice-shard flew by Tenshi's face and, as her arms had been shielding her face, the shard slashed her arms in passing. She winced momentarily before focusing on the dish, the explosion clearing._

**End Flashback**

Of course: her match against Tala. At least it was only her left arm; she could still blade.

Tenshi noticed Kai's gaze lingering on her arm. Following his eyes, she saw her bandage tied tightly to her bicep. With a grin brimming with confidence, Tenshi said, "And injuries aren't going to stop me." She watched as Kai, silent, looked back at her face. "It's like they say: what doesn't kill us makes us stronger!"

Her smile faltered slightly as she said this. Kai suspected she had some doubt in this, but he just closed his eyes and grunted: his way of ending the conversation. He had finally started to catch himself. Why was he putting so much thought into this? He didn't get it, and he didn't like it either.

Tenshi stood slowly from her seat. There was a little package of pretzels by Sakura that was calling her name. As she moved her way toward the aisle, the plane gave a small jostle. Planting her feet, Tenshi caught her balance, her attention directed upwards as the intercom came to life. "Everyone! Please buckle your seatbelts; we are going through some turbulence!" the intercom crackled. But before Tenshi could get back to her seat, the jet gave another, sharper lurch. Caught off balance, Tenshi flew back and braced for impact, shutting her eyes. Then, she hit something… muscular?

Tenshi didn't know what she was expecting to hit, but this was certainly **not** it! Frozen, Tenshi opened her eyes and they widened as they faced her empty seat. The force had pushed her onto Kai! Thus now, she was seated on his lap. '_CRAP to the eighth power!!_' she mentally screamed. She could feel the chagrin beginning to heat her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Kai!" she apologized, quickly making a move to get up when another jostle flung her back onto him, this time face to face.

Kai's scowl burned deep into her chestnut eyes. Thankfully, the turbulence had finally stopped and the attendant reported it was safe to move about the cabin. No one needed to tell Tenshi twice. With haste she jumped back into her seat, avoiding Kai's glare. The pretzels were the last things on Tenshi's mind right then. Plugging in her headphones, she was about to tune them out when a much friendlier voice chirped in her ear.

"Ouch, Tenshi! You got the grim seatmates!" Hiniku joked, leaning over the back of her seat to face her friend. Tenshi twisted and looked up at her reproachfully.

"You have no idea, Hiniku! And I thought you learned on the bus not to face backwards on seats!"

Hiniku grinned cheekily. "Yes, but the plane isn't having turbulence while I'm like this, therefore I won't go flying!"

Tenshi's cheeks flushed, but she spared herself the misery of looking back at Kai. Hiniku seemed not to have noticed. Instead, her gaze glanced over Tenshi and sharpened into a glare. "What're you lookin' at, Red?" she yelled to Tala, who apparently had been give them peculiar looks. Tala glared darkly at the Korean. Whether it was from the nickname or just because it was Hiniku, she couldn't tell. The Korean rolled her eyes and spared Tenshi an infuriated glance. "Good luck, Tensh! You're gonna need it!"

Ignoring Tenshi's mumbles about 'wishing she had had that luck earlier', Hiniku flipped back around in her seat.

The rest of the trip went by smoothly… or as smoothly as possible. Hiniku, Kaze, Max and Tyson debated on which kind of candy was the best: Korean, Japanese, or American. Sakura argued with the White Tiger X team while still managing to flirt harmlessly with Rei. And Tenshi involved herself in her music, avoiding Kai's gaze for the rest of the trip.

Once the plane began to land, Tenshi didn't unbuckle her seatbelt until it had come to a complete stop. The last thing she wanted was déjà vu, so to speak. Removing herself from her seat, Tenshi filed out after the Blitzkrieg Boys. The group was smoothly moving towards the exit when there was a yelp, followed by a thud, and then everything suddenly stopped.

There was a tense silence. Not even a butcher knife could cut through it. Everyone was still. Pushing her way around Tala, Tenshi moved to see the cause. Her breath caught in her throat.

Kenny was planted frozen to the ground, trembling. A member of the Shinigamiz towered over him, gloved hands clenched. He took a step forward. Everyone held their breath.

"Why you—!" a deep voice growled. Tenshi tensed; her heart skipped. But before more words could be spoken, he was cut off. The tallest of the Shinigamiz had stepped up with a silencing hand. All was still. The two teammates looked at each other for a moment, as if words were being passed to the eyes under the hoods. Then the other member turned back to his team and left, but not before feinting at Kenny. One by one the Shinigamiz left. And then they were gone.

Whispers and murmurs spread like wildfire as some of the teams moved out. But Tenshi remained frozen. Her thoughts were jumbled, her heart beating again. '_That voice…_' she thought. '_Why does it sound so __familiar__…?_'

She was brought back by the jostle and shove of bladers moving around her. Getting a grip, Tenshi turned to merge into the sea of bladers. That was when chestnut eyes met crimson. Tenshi was startled by Kai's scrutinizing gaze; it was as if they were delving into her very thoughts. Shifting uncomfortably, she moved quickly past him, his stare boring into her back.

Kai watched Tenshi. His crimson eyes narrowed at her retreating form, eyebrows furrowing. '_What was that?_' Kai pondered. It was almost as if she recognized the voice. He had seen as Tenshi turn rigid. Noticing his team was waiting, Kai strode past them, leading. His eyes hardened. '_Something's up with the new teams—and I'm going to figure them out._'

**N E V E R**

"Tensh? I think I'm really gonna like the States."

"Why's that?"

"WATERBEDS!!" Sakura yelled ecstatically. She gave a huge leap into the air before flopping onto the bed. The waterbed rounded in jiggles. Tenshi couldn't help but laugh. Hobbling into the room, Hiniku squealed aloud. The Korean ditched her crutches and jumped onto the bed as well, almost crushing Sakura. Shrugging, Tenshi plopped down, too, lying back against the dog pile of her friends.

"HA! What now, punk?!" she joked, ignoring their resistance.

After departing from the airport, the bladers had been given their room assignments and transported to the hotel. And once again, each team was given their own suite. Thus leading the Winged Guardians to the wonderfully comfortable waterbeds.

But before any more quarreling could be down, however, their team captain entered. Kaze shot them a grin of false reproach. "And _I_ wasn't invited?" she mocked irritation. Tenshi smirked.

"Of course you are. After all, every party needs a party pooper."

Kaze just chuckled. Putting her hands on her hips, she continued, "Well, I just got the official from Mr. Dickinson." All mouths quieted and ears perked. "We have the rest of today to settle in. Matches start back up tomorrow. Guys…" Kaze paused, a grin spreading across her face. "If we win our match tomorrow, we're guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals!"

Sakura and Hiniku let out squeals and cheers of excitement. Yet unexpectedly, Tenshi was silent. Wordlessly Tenshi rose, giving her team a determined look. "They why are we still sitting here? We took yesterday off; we really need to practice today!"

"But Tensh—"

Tenshi gave Sakura a firm look. "No, Sakura. I don't care who's the 'official' team captain," she cut off. Training her gaze on all three, Tenshi continued. "I'm not going to let this team fall now. We're not coming this far to go home. So we've gotta give it our best, which includes practice and training."

Silence resumed. The other Winged Guardians exchanged glances. Then Sakura sighed, defeated. "Okay, Tensh: you win."

"I know."

Hiniku poked her tongue at Tenshi. Smirking, Tenshi retorted with making faces at her. Before another fight could erupt, Sakura stood up and looked at her sister. "So, where are we gonna practice? This hotel doesn't have beystadiums."

Grabbing her blade and clicking her lopsided belt, Tenshi motioned for her friends to follow. "We're going au natural; there's a park nearby," she answered back. The Winged Guardians walked down the lavish halls and into the elevator (with Hiniku hopping along on her crutches). Kaze started making guessing gestures.

"And you know this why…?" Kaze voice trailed as they hit the ground floor. The silver doors opened as they strode out into the classy lobby. Glittering chandeliers hung above, reflecting their path out of the hotel.

Tenshi waved Kaze's question away. "I looked up the area the night before we left. GoogleWorld is a wonderful way to scope things out!" The Winged Guardians continued through the bustling New York streets. People were moving and weaving all around them; it was a miracle they weren't separated, let alone lose Hiniku. Crossing another street, they wound up at a huge patch of green in the city of gray.

Trees surrounded the park like gates around a castle. The grass was a pure green that swayed gently in the open wind. A few kids were running across a field and others swung on creaking swings. Petunias and daisies outlined the entrance with a welcoming gleam. Cleanly paved paths wound intricately through it.

"Wow!" Sakura breathed, the wind playing with her cocoa hair. Hiniku's jaw dropped.

"You can say that again!"

"Wow!"

"Shut-up."

Chuckling, Tenshi motioned for them to follow. She led them across the park. The various fields of green, laughter and fun seemed endless. Pointing up ahead, the chestnut-haired female reported, "There's a patch of woods up ahead and a smaller, more concealed area. It would be great for training!" She said this with a grin. The others moaned. But before they could reach the wooded land, a blotch of concrete marred the serene park. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be two hoops, one at each end of the court. "Basketball, huh…"

Sakura, Hiniku and Kaze's faces lit up in synch. Just as Kaze had a weakness for waking up in the morning, Tenshi also had a weakness: she was addicted to sports and basketball just happened to be one of her favorites. "Maybe there _is_ a way out of this…" Hiniku sneered under her breath. In unison they all directed their gaze on Tenshi ahead of them. All she had to do was take the bait.

Hiniku and her crutches slinked up next to the walking Tenshi, the said teen's eyes intent on the group of boys playing. "Yep, basketball," the Korean started, picking up from Tenshi. Tenshi gave her a look and just kept walking. It didn't take a genius, however, to see the sneaks of the game her eyes kept making. Hiniku continued, "Didn't you used to play basketball when you were younger, Tenshi?"

Sakura moved in front of them with an innocent grin. "Yeah! You and Kaze played on a team together once, right?"

Kaze came up on Tenshi's other side. "Mhm! Tenshi was really good! You were mainly defense, right? Or were you point-guard?" she asked.

Tenshi could feel her team's gazes on her and her gaze on the court. They were right next to it and had come to a complete stop. Nervously, she looked at each of her friends' faces. "Well, I do play a bit…" she started. Abruptly, she shook her head and continued walking. "But that was a while back. Blading is my life now."

The three girls exchanged desperate looks. If Tenshi succeeded in getting them to train, there was no doubt they would be sore the next day. What a warm-up is to Tenshi is a full-blown work-out for the others. If they were going to be able to blade in the next match, they had to work fast. Sakura scrambled over to Tenshi and stopped her.

"Maybe. But wouldn't you want to visit your past—even if it's just for a moment? You know you want to grip that basketball in your grasp again, just to prove to yourself you still have it in you," her sister reminded her.

Tenshi stood there, frozen in thought. Inside, her competitive flame was burning like a forest fire. Her eyes lit and her lips curved into a smirk. Glancing back at Kaze, Tenshi called, "C'mon, Kaze! Let's go show those pigs how to play!" As she walked up to the court with Kaze, Sakura made her way back to Hiniku and slapped her a high-five. The Winged Guardians' team captain and Tenshi stood on the sidelines, watching the group of boys play. One of the taller ones, a dark skinned guy, slammed the ball into the hoop. His team hooted and hollered. Taking the break between hands as a chance, Tenshi walked over to them, a spirited glint in her chestnut eyes. "Yo, boys!" she called out. The guys stopped abruptly and eyed her warily. "Mind if we play?" she asked confidently. Much to her irritation, the boys just laughed harder, as if it were a joke. Her eyes narrowed.

"Dude, that chick wants to play!"

"Probably cry if she breaks a nail!"

"Waah! Mommy, the big bad boys hurt me!"

Tenshi's fists clenched and unclenched. From behind her, Kaze quivered inside. Tenshi was just as bad as Sakura when it came to sexist comments. For a moment, she almost felt sorry the guys: they had no idea what they were in for if Tenshi snapped.

The dark-skinned male apparently had some nerve, as he was making his way toward her. Dribbling the basketball the whole way, he stopped in front of Tenshi. He seemed familiar to her, yet she couldn't place him. "I'm sorry, but we've already got a game going. And the guys—"

"—can take the backseat and shove it!" Tenshi finished in her own fashion. Chuckling, the guy grinned back at her.

"You've got some guts. You any good?" he asked. Tenshi smirked and quirked a brow.

"A little." Before the tall guy could respond, Tenshi had already stolen the ball from his grasp. Weaving through the small crowd of guys with amazing speed, she went up to the hoop and popped in off the backboard. Catching the ball as it came back down, she sneered at the boys' astonished expressions. Going up to the dark-skinned one, she shoved the ball into his gut. "I hope I don't slow you all down," she mocked. Walking back over to Kaze, Tenshi crossed her arms. "So, are we in?"

The guy laughed again and motioned for the boys to divide back up into their teams. "Yeah, you're on!" he answered. The two girls moved onto one team together. Apparently the male they had been talking to was the one in charge. "Okay, you've got the ball now!" he informed them. He bounce-passed the basketball to Tenshi and his team moved to the other side of the court. Kaze giving her an assuring nod, Tenshi took the ball up to the top of the court. The girls' team fanned out in an offensive movement. The dark-skinned guy stood in front of her. "Check it!" he said. Tenshi bounced the ball to him and he bounced it back. Upon receiving the basketball, Tenshi started to dribble it at her side, her chestnut orbs scanning the layout of the court and zoning in on the guy in front of her. He grinned spiritedly back. "Name's Eddie."

Tenshi smirked. "Tenshi," she responded. Feinting a right, she bounced the ball through his legs to Kaze. Kaze caught it and dribbled around the defensive men. Moving to the center lane, she passed back to Tenshi, who put it up into the hoop. That team of guys whooped and gave them a round of high-fives. Kaze and Tenshi pounded fists, grinning. "We've still got it!" she said.

"Oh yeah!" Kaze responded. The team moved to the other side of the court and waited defensively. Tenshi moved up top to check the ball from Eddie. He was grinning.

"Guess I'll have to take you seriously now, eh?" he asked her.

"Guess so."

"Too bad; you're kinda cute!" he grinned. Eddie then bounced the ball around her and picked it up on her other side to dribble it down the court. He was going up for the shot when Tenshi flicked it from his grasp and to one of her teammates. The guy dribbled it down and sunk it for another point. She smirked back at Eddie.

"Sorry. That one stopped working on me a long time ago. It happens when you play against guys," she told him. Eddie laughed, rubbing a hand behind his head.

"Guess that one was a long shot." But once the basketball was back in his possession at the top of the court, Eddie's demeanor changed. Seriousness glimmered with a fire of determination in his eyes. Tenshi immediately picked up the change and sunk down into a defensive position: it was game time.

Checking the ball at Tenshi, Eddie quickly passed the ball off to a teammate. He sprinted around Tenshi to receive the ball and slam it back into the hoop. Tenshi had hardly had had any time to brace herself. As he walked back to the other side of the court, he shot her a competitive grin. She smirked back. Going over to her team, they huddled together. "You guys know the three-man weave?" she asked, eyeing them. The guys and Kaze gave an affirmative. She nodded. "Okay. We're gonna run a three-man weave once I pass the ball off to Kaze. Okay? Break!"

The team dissipated. Tenshi took the ball back up top and checked it with Eddie. Dribbling around him, Tenshi started down the court. Eddie shuffled next to her, on the defensive. She stopped and bounced the basketball to Kaze. Moving down the court, her teammates continued to dribble down, then switch it off to another teammate going by them. When they got to the basket, it was an easy point off of the backboard.

The game continued like that. Play after play. Shot after shot. Time ticked away like sand on a beach. The sun was setting in the American sky. Sweat dripped from their brows. The ball was at half court again; Tenshi's team and Eddie's team stood face to face. Eddie smiled through his sweat. "Next point wins. Deal?"

Tenshi couldn't help but smirk. "Deal." They shook on it. Tenshi's team doubled back onto the defensive and Tenshi checked it up and Eddie dribbled methodically across from her. He feinted a left, then a right, and finally swerved a left around her. Tenshi bounded after him. Just when he was about to go up for the shot, Kaze snagged the basketball from his grasp.

"Tenshi!" she called from the hoop. Answering the call, she received the pass from Kaze. Sprinting, Tenshi started for a fast break down the court. She could hear the thud of Eddie's footfalls coming closer and closer. Panic hit her. So, in a race for the win, Tenshi went for it. Bending her knees, Tenshi thrust the ball from the three-point line. The basketball soared. It moved towards the hoop. Closer. And closer. The basketball hit the rim. Circling. Circling. It stopped… then fell outside the hoop.

Tenshi didn't even have time to think as Eddie picked up the ball and charged past her for a slam-dunk. His team roared in cheers and her team hung their heads in despair. Kaze went over to Tenshi and gave her a reassuring grin. "It's not like the world's gonna end because you didn't make the shot," she told her. Tenshi sighed.

"I guess I don't have 'it' anymore, huh?"

"I'd say you've got 'something', though!"

The girls turned at the sound of another voice. Eddie was making his way towards them, basketball tucked under his arm. He was grinning from ear to ear. "That was a good game; don't sweat the small stuff!" Sportsmanly, he held out his hand. Eyeing the hand at first, Tenshi then grasped it and shook. A small smirk slipped onto her lips.

"Yeah, I guess so—but I am SO winning next time!" she challenged him. He snorted, a competitive fire in his eyes.

"Bring it on!"

"EDDIE!" another voice called out. The three turned to see familiar faces coming towards them. Kaze looked incredulous.

"Max?" she questioned. The blonde nodded happily as him and his teammate, Michael, moved towards them. Michael's long, dirty-blonde hair was tucked back by his cap as they ran to them. "What are you doing here?" Kaze queried, clearly confused.

Seeing Max and Michael show up must've made it all click for Tenshi. Abruptly, she tore her gaze from them to look back at Eddie. "You're a member of the All-Starz!" she announced. Kaze's eyes widened in shock. "That's why you seemed so familiar! I saw your battles in the past few Championships!"

Eddie laughed. "Wow, who knew I would be forgotten just for missing the first stage of the tournament!" he stated. Max looked back at the girls.

"We've been trying to find him all afternoon! He missed the Russian stage because he was held back here for a basketball tournament. Mr. Dickinson let him miss it as long as he made it to the second stage here in the States!" he told them. Kaze and Tenshi nodded in realization.

Eddie seemed confused. "Wait," he started, perplexed. "How do you all know each other?"

Max cheerfully grinned. "Their our competition! Eddie, meet two members of the winged Guardians!" he chirped. Eddie looked at them like he had just woken up. Newly acquainted, Eddie ran a hand through his uniquely blonde hair. Letting out a whistle, his smile became one of wonder.

"Wow! Blading, basketball—what else do you do?"

Kaze chose this moment to speak up. "And martial arts—both of us. But that's where my physical capabilities end," she laughed. "I'm more of a T.V. junkie or video gamer. However, Tenshi here plays just about everything! Volleyball, tennis, basketball, blading, gymnastics, dance—just about anything that involves athleticism."

The three All-Starz exchanged glimpses before staring at Tenshi. She clammed up in embarrassment. Michael raised a challenging brow. "Is there anything you _can't_ do?" he dared. Tenshi was going to respond when Kaze started again.

'_Dag, for a shy girl she sure is being talkative!_' Tenshi thought. '_Or maybe she's just comfortable around them._' Kaze had a tendency to be quieter around those she wasn't relaxed around. It was great to see that she was opening up. The warming thought that 'Kaze-was-making-new-friends-on-her-own' soon dissipated as Tenshi tuned in to Kaze's words.

"Her academics are exceptional and she can make a mean omelet or grilled cheese, but that's about it," Kaze started, knowing she was going to annoy her friend with the truth. That's when the list began… "Otherwise she burns everything she touches. She hardly has a single artistic bone in her body; her stick figures look like rocks and her singing is bearable. Tenshi couldn't keep her room clean for more than a week to save her life and as good as her memory is, she always happen to 'forget' her chores—."

A hand clamped over Kaze's mouth, her words muffled. Stopping, she glanced to the hand's owner. Tenshi was controlling her irritation and her voice seemed strained. "Kaze: it was a rhetorical question. They don't need my biography," she told her, releasing Kaze's now silent mouth. Max couldn't contain his laughter at this point. Soon both of his teammates joined in and Tenshi's face flushed red. Whether it was embarrassment or anger, one couldn't tell.

"Shut-up!" Tenshi growled, specifically to Eddie (who couldn't stop). The taller male looked down at her, amused. He raised a brow.

"Or what?" he defied.

"OR I'll beat the mess out of you!" she retorted. Michael moved towards them. Resting his forearm on Tenshi's shoulder, he smirked down at her.

"Right. Just give it up, Shortie!"

Tenshi fumed. "I'm NOT short! YOU'RE just freakishly tall!"

Michael grinned over at Eddie. "Ya' know, Shortie, that has a nice ring to it. What'dyou think, Eddie?"

In reply, Eddie sent him an appraising smile. "That seems very fitting," Eddie joked. By this time, Tenshi was practically trembling in annoyance. She brushed Michael off her shoulder and glare at both boys.

"I'm NOT SHORT! I'm AVERAGE HEIGHT!!" she exploded, fists clenched. Michael and Eddie erupted in roars of laughter. "I'm serious! Stop laughing!" Much to her infuriation, they continued.

Meanwhile, Kaze and Max stood off to the side, watching through amused glances. Breaking off from their conversation, they chuckled. "Well Tenshi seems to be getting along with the guys!" said Max. Kaze kept her eyes trained on the other three, her grin never wavering.

"You have no idea. With guys, this IS getting along! Tenshi has a bit of a 'competitive streak', so to speak," she told him. There was a pause. In the distance, Tenshi continued to bicker as the two boys picked on her. She grabbed the ball from Eddie's hands with a laugh, dribbling away to the hoop. The two boys followed and another game began. Kaze shook her head. "But even though she has her down sides, Tenshi is still a great. She's mature and determined. And she never, ever lets her friends down."

Max tore his eyes away from the trio to look back at Kaze's far-away smile. He grinned softly. "But you're the same way, Kaze," he said. Kaze abruptly looked at him in surprise. Nodding, the blonde continued, "You put other's feelings and problems before your own and even help them when it hurts you to. That's what makes you team captain!"

Experiencing a shock wave, Kaze found herself speechless. Here Max was, just recently meeting her, and yet he was hitting the nail on the head. She felt flattered and also embarrassed. With a fleeting look at the ground, she struggled to speak. "…Nah. That's not the real reason I'm captain; I'm more of the figure-head while Tenshi runs things. I'm not much of a leader."

"But you have the makings of one!" Max interjected. His eyes found hers. "You have everything you need to be a leader. Besides, seeing as Tenshi is mature, think about why she still lets you lead instead of Hiniku or Sakura."

Again, Kaze found herself without words. Never, in all the time since the historic Soul Caliber II match, had she thought about it that way. Thinking back, Tenshi had given the role up easily… or easily by Tenshi standards. And aside from the friendly bullying she did, Tenshi never really brought it up.

But before Kaze could delve into a series of theories and logic, a shadow loomed over in place of the setting sun. Her silver eyes looked up to see a grinning Eddie… with a pair of legs over his shoulder? Turning his back to Kaze, she almost burst into laughter. Tenshi glared back at her from over Eddie's shoulder, arms crossed and pretty ticked off. "Kaze…" Tenshi started, growling through her teeth. "Tell this idiot to put me down before I make him unable to blade in the next match!" Coming over to the group, Michael smirked, patting Tenshi on the head.

"Is Shortie upset?" he laughed. Tenshi continued to glare at him and a rumble of chuckles went through Eddie. She let out a huff, looked back at Kaze, and parted her lips to speak.

"Do you want to warn them or just let me beat the snot out of them? I'd hate to sabotage their team, but they're pushing my buttons…"

Kaze shot Michael and Eddie worried glances. Part of her didn't want to warn them; the almost brotherly playfulness was cute. But then again, Kaze knew Tenshi. Hence, she knew Tenshi would hurt them if given permission. Clearing her throat to catch their attention, Kaze said, "I'd watch myself if I were you or Tenshi might bring you down to HER size…"

Michael looked from Kaze to Tenshi. The brunette smirked back at him, a touch of mischief in her eye. Ruffling her hair one more time, Michael sighed and looked at Eddie. "Okay, put Shortie down, Eddie. Nobody needs to get hurt over a joke!" he told him. Smiling still, Eddie planted Tenshi back on her feet. Her face twisted into a frown and she gave them both a light punch to the gut.

"I hate you two!!" she huffed, turning her back to them. Michael slung an arm over Tenshi's shoulder, smirking.

"C'mon, ya know you love us."

"I **despise** you."

"Deep down I feel the love."

"Go away."

"Only if you admit it."

"Shut-up!!" Tenshi ordered, delivering an angry punch to Michael's jaw. He rubbed his jaw, his crooked grin unwavering.

"Dag, you punch like a guy!" Michael chortled. Relaxing her fist, Tenshi gave him a lopsided smile in return.

"I take that as a compliment," she told him. The sun sunk lower overhead and Tenshi's eyes gazed upon it. She sighed, turned her head, and looked at Kaze. "We need to get moving, Kaze," Tenshi said. Kaze nodded and then beamed at Max.

"I'll talk to you later, Max!" she chirped, unable to help herself at the sight of his cheerful face. Something about talking to him made her feel… giddy. His freckles became more dominant as he gave her his cute, kitty-like smile and waved. Tenshi and Kaze moved off the court and through the park. Halfway down the path, Tenshi stopped. Turning to face her, Kaze queried, "What's up?"

Tenshi frowned. She looked behind her, to her sides, and ahead of them before answering her team captain. "Hey, Kaze… where's Sakura and Hiniku?"

**S T O P**

"**SAKURA!! HINIKU!!**" Tenshi called heatedly, slamming open the door to the Winged Guardians' suite. Kaze cringed behind her. Tenshi's flaming chesnut orbs scanned the room. They honed in on the two females on the couch, eating popcorn and watching television. Marching, she moved to stand in front of the T.V., crossing her arms and glaring. Neither girl on the couch said a word, their eyes bulging. They looked at each other. Then they looked back at the impatient Tenshi.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Sakura and Hiniku shrieked, unified. Bounding over the back of the couch, Sakura hid. Hiniku remained in the open, immobile from her ankle. Letting out a squeak, she grabbed the pillows and buried herself underneath them like a barricade. Rolling her eyes, Tenshi walked over to the couch and flung away the top pillow, destroying the fortress. Meekly, Hiniku looked up at her friend and waved.

"Tee hee?" she chuckled nervously. Tenshi ignored her and looked beyond the couch.

"Sakura," she commanded simply. Grudgingly, Sakura stood back up and seated herself next to Hiniku, pouting. It was like reprimanding naughty children. Tenshi re-crossed her arms. "Why did you two leave?" she questioned. The two girls shamelessly pointed at each other.

"SHE MADE ME DO IT!" they tattled in unison. Whipping to face each other, they growled, "NU-UH!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Nuh-huh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"AHEM!" Tenshi interjected her own voice. The fight was silenced as they became content with shooting each other glares every few moments. "Now, are you two ready to train now?" she continued interrogating, strained. Sakura and Hiniku's mouth dropped all the way to Japan.

"What?!"

"You can't expect us to train **now**!"

"Yeah, it's dark outside!"

"And this is the United States, let alone New York! We might get jumped!"

"Or someone might jack our blades!"

"Do you really want another incident like Russia?!"

Tenshi rubbed her temple, a migraine slowly making it's way into her head. "There's no ice to slip on here," she deadpanned. Sakura stood up to her sister.

"But there's cracked sidewalks! Hiniku can hardly hobble around them!"

"That's right—HEY!"

Sakura shrugged. Watching from afar and closing the door, Kaze grimaced. If this went on any longer, someone was bound to get hurt. Whether it would be emotionally or physically, she couldn't tell. Time to make some peace. With a deep breath, Kaze walked inbetween the two sides of the war. "Okay guys! Hold on and let's think about this for a second," she said. Hiniku and Sakura stopped bickering and Tenshi gave her a look of vexation. Gesturing to the arguing two first, she said, "It's true that we still might've had time to train if we hadn't had to look all over the park for you all." They looked at the ground quietly. Tenshi smirked until Kaze focused on her. "But now it's also true that there's no time tonight to train."

Tenshi found herself frowning; so much for Kaze siding with her. Kaze sighed and looked at the two parties. "Since we have a match tomorrow, it's probably best that we that we get a good night's rest and try to fit in training when we can afterwards. But for now, it's wiser to focus on our game, strategy-wise," she rationalized. The team stood there in a unified silence. Hiniku looked at Sakura. She nodded back. Together, they chirped, "We're with Kaze!" Then all three females stared at Tenshi.

Releasing a breath, Tenshi compromised, "All right, but I'm going to switch it up a bit." The Winged Guardians listened attentively. "From now on in this tournament," Tenshi said, "it is your personal responsibility to make sure you train. I'll try for team practices when necessary. Deal?" There was no hesitation as the team concurred. With a small grin, Tenshi nodded. "Then we have a deal. Now let's get some rest; we need to win tomorrow if we're gonna stay in the championships."

Helping Hiniku hobble to her room, Sakura gave her sister a dismissive wave. Once the quarrelsome two were in their respective rooms, Tenshi moved to the medicine cabinet and pulled out some Motrin. Though the suite wasn't stacked with food, a huge refrigerator, and a beautiful view, Mr. D had made sure it was stacked with medicine and first aid supplies for the bladers. The waterbeds were a bonus. Downing the pills with gulps of water, Tenshi continued to drain her cup. Somewhat hesitantly, Kaze stepped towards Tenshi.

"Hey, Tenshi-kun?" she called out. Her headached friend smiled back.

"What?" she asked.

Recalling her earlier conversation, Kaze took a deep breath. "Why… don't you mind me being team captain? You're the one who brought us this far; why doesn't it bug you that much?"

Tenshi couldn't resist a chuckle. "Well, I'll tell you, it IS annoying when you all slack off, but," she paused, serious, "if it couldn't be me, then it had to be **you**." Kaze was taken aback, her shock deepening as her teammate continued. "Hiniku would joke too much and Sakura is still new; she's not ready for that power. Besides, a good leader knows how to listen, and that's exactly what you do best. When I get carried away or I'm being the 'bad guy', the team needs someone they can turn to. That's why, Kaze: it had to be **you**," Tenshi softly grinned.

First Max and now Tenshi had Kaze lost for words. Tenshi bid her friend good night and went into the room she shared with Sakura. Kaze remained rooted. Max's words chased Tenshi's around her mind. There was no lie in what she said. Sincerity had rung from every word. In that moment, Tenshi had let down her tough persona to reveal the soft, kind-hearted girl Kaze used to know. Tenshi hadn't been like that in years; it was like seeing a mirror into the past. And that alone confirmed it. Joy swelled in her chest as she went to bed. And for the first time, Kaze truly felt like she deserved to lead the team.

**M Y**

Night went on. The moon hung seamlessly in the midnight sky. Stars serenaded the lunar beauty. The streets of New York had quieted, though people still moved about, a car passing by. But most were sleeping soundlessly, nestled in their beds. Dreaming. And so were the Winged Guardians. Mostly.

Tenshi stirred slowly, rubbing her eyes. Stings of moonlight lit the floor. She grimaced, her face scrunching in pain. Head throbbing, Tenshi slipped out of her covers. Creeping through the darkness, she slid out of the bedroom where Sakura still slept. She walked to the medicine cabinet and fumbled in the darkness for the Motrin. Successfully, she eventually found the bottle and moved to the counter. Picking up her glass to down it, only then did she realize there was nothing left. She frowned.

It was the middle of the night, she had a pounding headache, and was out of water. Tenshi had learned from experience that downing pills dry was not fun. Then again, she'd sooner trust Tyson to do her math homework than drink city water. Sighing, Tenshi grabbed a key and moved towards the door. There was a vending machine down the hall that she could easily just grab a bottle of water. Stepping into the hall didn't hurt her nocturnal eyes, as they were hardly lit at all aside from the red EXIT sign. It almost reminded her of using glow rods in a cave.

Tenshi found the machine with ease. She slipped her coins in and waited for her water to vend. "If I wake up in the middle night again, I'm gonna start thinking I have insomnia," she grumbled to herself. Grabbing her water, Tenshi started tiredly back.

…thump…

She froze. Her senses heightened as the sound reached her ears. Pausing, her ears strained. Nothing. Paranoia gripped her throat. She shrugged off the goosebumps on her spine and moved forward.

…thump thump…clink…

Tenshi planted her feet. There was no mistaking it this time. Her ears wouldn't lie at this hour. Not this time when she was sure of it. The thumps continued, echoing through the empty halls, like footsteps. But the second sound threw her off. It was almost like the clang of metal. Her heart pace quickened. Tenshi moved faster, almost in a wary jog. Her chestnut eyes scanned around her as she stepped. But the darkness was like a sea, unending. So she didn't notice when she hit something tall and hard.

She was knocked to the ground. The water ball fell from her grasp and suddenly it was the least of her thoughts. Tenshi looked up into the dimness to see the Shinigami looming over her.

The leader.

Any other time Tenshi would be prepared to kick his sorry butt to Pluto, but not now. No one was around. It was dark. Her muscles were tight from sleep. Thinking fast, she braced herself to lash out and run if necessary. The chains that closed his cloak clanged as he moved. The Shinigami kneeled down, eye to eye with Tenshi. Her wary eyes widened as he reached for her. Just as she was about to slap him away, his gloved hand brushed her face. Tenshi's heart stopped. Further, the shadow moved a strand of her hair out of her face.

Tenshi's instincts were screaming for her to kick him in the gut and get the heck out of there. But her mind was telling a different story. The brief touch was almost… familiar. Like a requiem of her past. Her face furrowed. "Who are you…?" she heard herself mutter.

But before more could be done or said, another sound pierced the tense fog of silence. The elevator dinged and it's doors opened. In the faint light, Tenshi could make out the figure.

Kai stopped halfway down the hall. His glare seared the darkness as it traveled from the Shinigami to Tenshi. It was obvious she was confused, uncomfortable. The Shinigami stiffened, as if irritated. The shadow stood and the hood locked gazes with Kai. Motionlessly, he watched as the figure slipped back into the shadows to one of the rooms. The other two bladers remained rooted until there was the soft click of the door coming to a close.

Tenshi was able to breathe again. Her thoughts were jumbled and she couldn't shake the feeling that somehow… that somehow she knew him. It was almost like that déjà vu crap Sakura spouted. Rummaging, Tenshi found her water bottle and stood. Avoiding Kai's scrutinizing stare, she moved across the hall to get back into her room.

But he was bemused. Coming back from late training only to find two of the new competitors in the hall together was just a little strange. Especially when one of them reminded him of the Grim Reaper. Kai stepped in front of Tenshi's path, block her way to her room. "What was _that_?" he demanded. Tenshi tried to move around him, but he just moved and put an arm out to the wall. His crimson orbs stared at her from the corner of his eyes. Her chestnut eyes looked back. "I'll ask again: what. Was. That?" This time there was no room for negotiation in his tone. Something was up with the Shinigamiz and he was going to find out what.

Tenshi mustered a glare at the Russian. "Move, Kai," she commanded.

He turned his head to face her fully, his brow narrowing. "Not until you tell me what the heck was going on."

"Then you're gonna be waiting a while," she retorted. The lack of sleep was definitely getting to her. She could see the annoyance boiling through Kai's crimson eyes. Kai used his other arm to block her between him and the wall. His hands on either side of her head, Kai leaned in to her face.

"Something is **wrong** with that team and it's jeopardizing the Championships. So you're going to tell me exactly what just happened and how you know him," he told her. That scene he had stumbled upon had been proof of his earlier suspicions that she was connected to those freaks. Now he was going to find out how.

As Kai's words filled the air between them, Tenshi could feel his winter frost breath on her face. Under normal circumstances, she would've freaked. But right now it was late and her migraine was only growing. "I don't know," she confessed.

"Don't give me that crap. I know what I just saw. I'm not going to ask you again."

"I don't **know**!" she spat. Shoving him aside, Tenshi dug out her key and quickly slipped back into her suite, clicking the door behind her. Kai glowered at the door, as if trying to glare through it. Running a hand through his blue mane, Kai turned and head to his room, wondering what was going on.

Little did he know that Tenshi was slumped on the other side of the door, thinking the same thing.

**H E A R T**

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**Wow: it took me long enough to finish this one. XP I'm sorry guys, but think about it: **_**technically**_** it's still late September. I apologize again, but I have no time. Hopefully, I'll still get another chappie up next month. However, you can DEFINITLY count on my Christmas one-shot and probably my Thanksgiving one-shot. So if I don't update next month, than this is the last of this year. I'm gonna need November to write my Thanksgiving and December to write my Christmas. GOMENASAI!! But you can count on a new chapter in January and by then things should be back to monthly. Until then, ja! BEWII!**

**Mishi-chan**


	8. SECOND ROUND and Some Fun

**Never Stop My Heart **

**By Mishi-chan**

**A/N: …I'M SORRY!!!! I'M SOOOO SORRY!! XP With holidays, birthdays, work loads, I've been totally swamped. Then, I will admit Korean Dramas distracted me. But I'm back and I'm really trying to keep these once a month. If I'm off, forgive me. And this chapter just didn't want to come out for me, especially after the cliffie-ish thing I left you all on. But don't worry, all will be explained in due time. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade, but I do, however, own Tenshi and the Winged Guardians' bit-beasts. Sakura and Hiniku belong to the Invisible Love account and Kaze is owned by my accomplice in crime. I also do not own "No. 1" by BoA, though it is a good song and you should have it on hand for this chapter.**

**This long-awaited chappie is dedicated to james'n'lily'4eva, WhiteFoxRose, and Shadow of Existance: thanks for the lovely reviews and expressing your love for this fic. It's immensely appreciated. And also, thanks to everyone for waiting fifty-gazillion months for this. XD I only made it in February by... ten minutes. XP How sad. **

**Now, on with the long-awaited eighth chappie!!**

* * *

**N E V E R **

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the second stage of the **Beyblading World Championships**!!"

People rejoiced. The day was new and the sun beamed down into the open-air stadium. Spectators were crammed into the large stands, anxious and excited. They were practically buzzing. Jazzman's wide grin promoted the upbeat atmosphere. "This is the American stage of the tournament. The matches today and tomorrow will decide who makes it into the SEMI-FINALS!!" he went on to say, causing another uproar from the multitudes. "So, let's get started! For our first match, we have the WINGED GUARDIANS!!" Jazzman gestured to an entryway. Summoned, the girls filed out, grinning, waving, and ready to blade. Cheers and signs greeted them. One sign even read 'Sakura: CALL ME!!'. Tenshi laughed. Sakura took notice of the holder's chocolate skin and his above-average height. One can never be too careful about fans. They _could_ go stalker.

Once the crowd had settled, Jazzman proceeded. "These newcomers have been raising quite a storm. But the obstacle in their way today is the WHITE TIGER X!!" Revealing themselves to the roaring fans, Rei's team strode out into the stadium, their feline teeth gleaming with confidence. Rei, leading his team to their bench, sent them an encouraging wave. The same hospitality could not be said for the rest of the White Tiger X. In fact, the rest of the team seemed just plain hostile. Mariah was glaring holes at Sakura whilst Lee was sneering.

"Make enemies much?" Hiniku whispered to Sakura, eyeing the furtive glances shot at her chocolate friend. The said teen rolled her eyes.

"The same could be for you," she retorted, pointing a telltale finger to the crowds. The Korean's eyes followed the line of direction only for her eyes to widen and scowl.

"NOOO! What the heck is _he_ doing here?!" Hiniku spat, her eyes resting upon the antagonizing redhead in the crowd. Her response came as a leer, the blue-haired male seated next to him ignoring them both. Sakura, au contraire, was smirking.

"Maybe he came for a good laugh; you're here, after all."

"Shut-up."

"Ladies!" Tenshi's tone was one that demanded attention. The two arguers quickly straightened up, their attention directed at Kaze and Tenshi. Satisfied that at their focus, the brunette crossed her arms. "Okay, Kaze: we're all ears," she reported. The team captain nodded her thanks.

"Okay, here's the line-up: I want Sakura to blade first and Tenshi to take up the second match, as Hiniku is unable to blade today…." Trailing off suggestively, Kaze and the other two girls shot knowing looks at Hiniku. But before the Korean had a chance to get defensive, Kaze continued, "Either Tenshi or myself will blade third in the event of a tiebreaker." Each of the girls put their fists in the middle with an exclamation before breaking the huddle. It seemed as though Jazzman was waiting for them, as he was glancing over expectantly.

Smirking confidently and tugging her bandana tighter, Sakura bounded up the steps to the dish. "Who's it gonna be?" Sakura challenged, gung-ho and ready to rumble. To her dismay, yet also to her joy, Lee was the one who stepped forward to oppose her. Watching his sneer through anticipating eyes, she noted, "Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this…."

Lee crossed his arms across his chest superciliously. "You'll never win; like I said, stick to cheerleading," he stated matter-of-factly with a twinge of brag. All this did was prove to infuriate Sakura.

"I can take you down _easily_," she growled, pulling out her launcher and blade. But Lee wasn't ready to let the argument go. Not yet.

"Right, the same way Tenshi took down Kai in the last stage?" he mocked. Sakura tensed, hoping, praying even, that the said teammate had not heard him. Unfortunately, she had.

"_Excuse me_?" Tenshi shouted. The only things halting her fists of fury were Hiniku and Kaze holding her back on the bench. Apparently this only encouraged him.

"I didn't stutter. Face it: you girls just don't cut it. The matches you won were flukes."

His current competition weren't the only ones responding to his egotistical boasts. From his own team's bench, Mariah was smiling secretly to herself whilst Rei was rubbing his temple in embarrassment. Up in the stands, Tala's smirk broadened. Amused, he remarked, "Hn. Someone else who finds these girls we—."

"Tala," Kai interrupted his fellow. "Unless you want to get punched again, I suggest you stay quiet." Advice received, Tala silenced. However, the smirk could not be erased completely. Kai, on the other hand, was eyeing the females and Lee. '_Just what is that idiot trying to prove?_'

Things were still heating up down in the dish. With every word from Lee's mouth, Sakura's grip tightened around her launcher. "I mean, come ON," Lee continued to blubber. "At least Mariah has proven herself by training with us. You probably haven't even fought a real battle ever. It all comes down to the fact that your team is just a bunch of wannabes—."

"That's IT!" Sakura roared, her eyes burning with hatred. "We worked our butts off to get here. In fact, Tenshi and I could tag-team and take down you AND your team captain!" Her voice echoed through a stunned stadium. Tenshi froze in her struggle. Rei's attention was seized. But Lee's sneer never faltered.

"Can't take me on yourself, so you drag a teammate into this?"

Sakura ignored his arrogance. "As I recall, YOU were the one who called her out. I'm giving my teammate a chance to **show you up**." It was, at last, Sakura's turn to smirk. But her respondent snickered.

"I don't need Rei to take you two down," the Chinese male pressed, frowning.

"Maybe, but I'd prefer a fair match." Tenshi came up next to her sister, hair pulled back, ready to blade. It was not her voice, however, that halted him as he reached for his launcher.

"Agreed," Rei concurred, standing by his teammate with a launcher that was ready to rumble. Incredulous eyes and a look of betrayal faced Rei.

"What?! Rei, you can't be serious!"

"We were issued a challenge; it's not our place to change the rules." One silencing gaze from his captain shut Lee's mouth.

Jazzman looked ecstatic. "The Winged Guardians have thrown down the battle. Ladies and gentlemen: we have this year's first four-way Battle Royale!" The crowd erupted into hysterical cheers, everyone ready to see the match. "Three!"

Lee finally readied his blade, his boasts dwindling down to focus.

"Two!"

Tenshi stepped back into stance with a fixated glare ahead. "This better not cost us the match, Saku," she grumbled.

"One!"

Grinning to her sister, Sakura said, "Don't worry. It won't."

"LET IT RIP!" came the unanimous battle cry. Four blades flew into the dish. Purple. Silver. Ice. Black. They pranced and circled like the dark side of the rainbow. Then purple and black collided.

"Take her down, Galeon!" Lee commanded. Sparks flew as Sakura's blade tried to push back.

"Kiba!" she called, her blade being pushed further. The ice-colored blade rammed Galeon from the side and away from Kiba. Sakura shot Tenshi a grateful eye. After being shoved away, Galeon swerved around to meet Rei's blade. Synchronized, they charged. Rotating about each other, Driger and Galeon rammed up against their opponents.

"Mangetsu," came Tenshi's calm command. Mangetsu knew what his mistress wanted. It maneuvered around to avoid the encounter, only to attack from behind. The four blades raged battle, fireworks being put to shame by the sparkle of collision. Bouncing apart and away, the blades did. Purple spun by blue, silver by black. A leer slipped across Lee's lips.

"Are you going to hide behind your teammate the whole match? How weak is that?" he remarked snidely. Sakura took a step forward with clenched fists, but Tenshi held out an arm, palm facing. It was the universal sign for 'wait'. Grudgingly, Sakura obeyed; if she screwed up and they lost, then they were going home. No. She couldn't do that to Tenshi.

**FLASHBACK**

_"Tenshi? Ten—shi?" Sakura called, banging on the door of her sister's room. Just like it had been for the past five minutes, no answer. "Tenshi: I'm coming in!" she warned, barging into Tenshi's room. The bed was unusually made; the only time that girl made her bed was when she had to clean her room. That was yesterday. Flying down the stairs, Sakura went out the back door of her house. Off the patio, she went, following the sounds of a whirring blade. As she came to the end to the path in the woods behind the home, Tenshi came into site, hunched and panting. "Tensh!"_

_The weary teen glanced up slowly at the sound of her name, her hair swept back to reveal her face. "Saku?" she questioned, unsure. "Good morning."_

_"Good morning my butt!" Sakura replied, marching over to the younger female. "You were all out here all night!"_

_"So?"_

_"SO? So, you need your rest. We have school in an hour and you just pulled an all-nighter! Look at you—you're a wreck!" Sakura reprimanded, resembling a worried mother hen. Tenshi looked down at herself. Her clothes were covered in dirt, her hair grungy from sweat. Apparently her iPod must've died overnight because it lay off to the side. "And what happened to your hand?" Sakura's dark eyes had traveled to find Tenshi's hand not just the usual calloused, but also bleeding at the knuckles. _

_Tenshi managed a weak grin. "Got frustrated around three o'clock. Took it out on a tree," she explained. This only caused further creases on Sakura's forehead._

_"What am I going to do with you?"_

_"Sakura, look." Tenshi pointed to where her blade lay. For the first time, Sakura took her gaze off of her sister and what she saw made her jaw drop. There was a giant imprint into the ground and the tree were ravaged and cut. Mangetsu stopped spinning and fallen softly to its side. Overall, the clearing looked like the victim of a natural disaster._

_"Tensh… what did you do?" Sakura asked, her mouth agape, her eyes uncomprehending. A smirk answered her._

_"I perfected it. The move that's going to get us to the Championships."_

_Eyes wavering between her sister and Mangetsu, Sakura struggled to overcome her surprise. "…You need to take a shower and clean up." Those were the only words Sakura could manage to form at the time. Tenshi, surprisingly, complied and dragged herself back to the house. But not without grabbing her blade, her gear, and parting words to Sakura._

_"We've gotta win this, Saku. I ain't going back now."_

**END FLASHBACK**

No. Sakura couldn't afford to screw up. Not after that night and the many others Tenshi spent training, fighting. All for this. "Sakura!" a voice broke through her reverie. When Sakura tuned back into the battle, she found her blade being pushed dangerously to the edge of the dish. Galeon was persevering, forcing Kiba back. Another glance showed Sakura that Tenshi was too preoccupied with Driger to help. A determined fire lit in her eyes.

"Kiba! Dark Petal Dance!"

Within that instant, lo and behold, Kiba appeared, a dark beauty. Devilish wings spread, the white tiger roared a serenade for the cherry blossoms to dance in the midst of its storm. Galeon pulled back to keep from being caught in it. There was no way that Lee was going to let those petals wedge themselves into his blade's gears. He learned from Tyson's mistake.

But the attack served its purpose: to get Galeon off of Kiba. "Tenshi?" Sakura queried. Her sister knew the question and gave the affirmative answer. This gave Sakura a smile of competitive glee. "It's over, Lee," the dark-skinned girl declared.

Before Lee could utter a word, Tenshi beckoned to her blade. "Mangetsu!" she ordered, loud and firm. With one last swipe at Driger, Mangetsu whirled around to spin next to Kiba. The mighty phoenix arose, revealed by the splendor of his light. Side by side, they were, darkness and the light. Angel by demon. "Mangetsu!"

"Kiba!"

"Yin-yang Spiral!" the two sisters cried. Wings spread, the phoenix and the tiger flew together in a death spiral, swirling in a massive wind of light and dark. The caw of the heavens and the roar of the beast blended as one. With a wave of force, the attack hit Galeon and threw it out of the dish, only to land by Lee's foot. When he looked down, dumbstruck, Lee could see a blossom petal and a small feather between the layers.

"I told you, Lee," were the words that pulled lee's eyes back to his victorious opponent. Sakura was smirking. "It's over. So stop getting on my team's case," she demanded of him. Lee had no reply. No snide remarks, no boasts, just nothing. This quirked a small smile on Sakura's lips. "But nice try."

"Sakura," Tenshi intruded. A glance at the dish made her sigh. Rei's blade was still spinning. No words needed to be exchanged between the sisters.

"All right," Sakura submitted to Tenshi's unspoken request. Holding out a hand, Sakura felt Kiba return to her palm. She gave it a little hug of gratitude before returning to a rejoicing Winged Guardians' bench.

"Tenshi allowed herself a smirk. "Once again, I prefer a fair match," she explained herself. Rei grinned.

"That's fine by me."

Driger and Mangetsu clashed and spun, collided and whirled. "Driger!" Rei summoned his bit-beast, tenacity reigning in his vibrato. A roar later, the famous white tiger appeared. Driger growled at the flying phoenix. "Gatling Claw!"

"Sword of the Heavens!!"

Mangetsu flew in at the lunging Driger. The result: a wave of power that rippled from the explosive contact. Both blades bounced away. "Mangetsu!" came Tenshi's demanding cry. Her blade bounced off the edge and back into the dish, the rotation wavering slightly.

Driger was not as fortunate. When the tiger hit the rim, it bounced out and clattered to the floor, stilling to a stop. Rei glanced at the dish, then back to his blade and grinned.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Put your hands together for the Winged Guardians!" Jazzman declared, the crowd roaring in excitement. Tenshi picked up her blade, her gloves shielding her from the spinning razor ends. After that, she walked over to Rei with a small smile.

"Good match," Tenshi complimented, holding out a hand.

Taking and shaking it generously, Rei beamed. "You, too. You kept it a fair battle and I respect that," he told her. Before Tenshi could comment, she found herself slammed to the ground with increasingly heavy weights.

"Tenshi!" her teammates shouted with glee, dog-piled on top of her. Rei couldn't fight his chuckle at Tenshi's agitated expression.

"We won!" Hiniku exclaimed.

"We're going to the semi-finals!" piped in Kaze, who was uncharacteristically loud.

Tenshi rolled her eyes form the bottom of the pile. "Yeah, yeah, now get OFF OF ME!" she commanded. Slipping out from their suppression, Tenshi scrambled to her feet, as did her team. At this point, the rest of White Tiger X had joined them. Gary and Kevin just watched on in amusement, Lee looked still a little sour-faced from his loss, and Mariah—well, Mariah stood behind Rei, glaring daggers at the Winged Guardians.

"So," Rei started as the cheers quieted, "We're going around the city to see the sights. Would you all like to join us?" The glare on Mariah's face wiped away with shock. Sakura was elated.

"We'd love to!" she accepted before anyone could reject.

"Cool!"

As the teams made afternoon plans, a certain redhead was blatantly grumpy. Tala was frowning upon the joyous girls, sour. It didn't help that Kai was giving him the 'I-told-you-so' look. "You were saying?" Kai prompted, seeing the Winged Guardians victorious.

Tala shot him a glare. "It was dumb luck. Anyone can bounce their blade back into a dish," he retorted. His sapphire eyes watched as Kai stood and moved past him to exit the stadium.

"Oh, yeah? Then how come you didn't do it before she beat you?"

Cold logic was triumphant once again and Tala couldn't stand it. "Shut-up," he said, following.

Although nothing was said, Kai's smirk agitated him the same way. And he would have to face it for who knew how long.

**S T O P**

"Nice match, Max!"

Kaze's voice echoed down the locker room halls. Grabbing his duffel bag, the blonde to whom she spoke moved out of his team locker room to meet Kaze. He grinned in spite of himself. "But we lost the match."

"That doesn't mean you didn't do a good job." Kaze offered her encouraging words as she fell in stride with Max. "Besides, Tyson was on his game today; it was a close call."

They passed by the stadium entrances. No one was left, the throngs having exited soon after the day's matches were drawn to a close. Shining down with celestial beams, the sun illuminated the vacant arena. The only sound was there own breathing and soft footsteps. Max stopped and Kaze stilled. The blonde moved to the railing, with a grin on his face.

"HELLO!!" he shouted through cupped hands. Echoes reciprocated his greetings. Turning to a confused Kaze, Max explained, "It's fun to hear the echo when the stadium's empty." Responsively she grinned before silently looking back over the endless roaws of seats. Max's gaze rested upon her. "Try it," he told her.

The intelligent response he received was, "Huh?"

Max chuckled. "Come on!" he said with a nudge.

"I think I'll pass," Kaze refused with a gentle smile. But if she thought that was the end of the discussion, Kaze was sorely mistaken.

"Please?" Max cooed, his grin bright and head tilted.

"No, the cutesy act doesn't work; Hiniku overused it a while back."

Silence hung between them. "So, that the way it's going to be?" Max murmured. His sly grin did not go unnoticed. Before she could raise her guard, Max was behind her and giving her soft pokes to her sides. "Please?!"

"GAH!!" came Kaze's exclamation. But it wasn't her profound echo that held Max's attention, rather the girl that had collapsed from a spasm and into his grasp. Kaze's silver eyes glanced from Max's arms wrapped around her waist to his oceanic eyes that peered down at her, torn between concern and amusement.

"Ticklish?" he queried, taking a guess by her spastic reaction.

A sheepish smile played her lips. "A little," admitted Kaze. Nervous by the close proximity, Kaze regained her footing and Max released his arms accordingly. "Yeah, so… I made an echo," Kaze pointed out, fighting down the nerves that danced in her stomach. His reply came as a chortle.

"Yeah, and it was louder than mine. I'm jealous," Max joked. This time she joined him in a bout of laughter.

"Hey, Max?" Kaze ventured as their chuckles ceased. When Max looked her way, he found her eyes once again in the dish. "Do you still get pre-match butterflies?"

His face became clouded with thought. Kaze didn't face him. "Not really," Max started. Taking in the soft nod of Kaze's head, he continued. "Sometimes I do before a really big match."

"What do you do?"

"I just… breathe, knuckle down, and focus. Getting my boxers all up in a bunch doesn't do anything except lose my focus, and that does nobody any good. So I just remind myself of everything it took to get here and go for it," he finished whilst leaning back against the railing. Max sought her eyes. "Why?" he asked, "Pressure of the tournament getting to you?"

Kaze laughed without humor. "I wish it was just the tournament," she said dryly. "We've already lost once, partially my fault; if we lose another match, we'll be out. And then Tenshi's dream will be lost…." Kaze paused. "Tenshi's dream has been to go to the World Championships, but noting her competitive nature, she wants to win it all. Blading is one of the few things that keeps her going ever since…."

Max's eyebrows furrowed softly. "Since what?" he inquired.

"Normally," Kaze proceeded hesitantly, "I'd say it's not my place to tell, but Tenshi insists on not making it a big deal. You see, Tenshi's family was killed in an accident a couple years ago." Air caught in Max's throat.

"Family?" he repeated.

"Her parents and her little brother, Tai," she answered with a grim expression. "The roads were really bad and the wheels caught on a patch of black ice. You can guess from there." Kaze's voice had softened. With one glance, Max could tell she was lost in the past. "Tenshi was with us; we were at Sakura's for a party. They were on their way to pick her up." Stillness hung between her words. "If you haven't guessed, it's been pretty hard for her. But blading: it's given her a way to release her frustrations. She also releases it through her whip-lashing tongue." A small laugh escaped her voice.

"But when she's with you all she seems fine; you've been a good friend to her."

"I remember her mom used to always tell her 'Tenshi, you have some pretty good friends if they take that much abuse from you and still love you'. But Tenshi's just joking around; it's her way of showing affection." Kaze sighed, reminiscing of those times she knew so well. A ghost of a grin was on her mouth. "She's been there for me when I needed I her; I just don't want to let her down."

The two just stood in silence. Birds sang above in the air, their songs drifting down from into the open-air stadium. Max stood back up and looked down into the arena; the dish had already been cleaned up from the last match. "In that case, a bit of practice isn't gonna hurt you." Kaze gaped at Max, surprise clear on her face. "A practice match: right here, right now," Max furthered, the excitement and enthusiasm growing in his eyes just as uncertainty started in Kaze's.

"I don't know…."

"C'mon! Just a friendly match between friends—please?" Max pleaded. His smile soon became infectious and Kaze couldn't help herself. So she complied. Soon after climbing down stairs and leaping into the pit of the arena, Max and Kaze opposed each other. Standing across from each other at the dish, they smiled and fell back into blading stances. There was no crowd, no Jazzman, no pressure. "Three," Max said.

Kaze tightened her grip on her launcher. "Two."

"One: Let it rip!" And with Max's yell, the battle commenced. Kaze's gold blade raced to the edge of the dish as Max's Draciel retained a position in the center, waiting, preparing. As her blade circled the dish, almost slowly, thought raced through Kaze's mind. She was a strategic blader. Max was a strategic defensive blader. Under normal circumstances, she would wait for the attack to come to her. That would give her the chance to choose the most effective plan of attack. But if Max didn't attack….

The she would have to take the offensive to draw him out, Kaze decided. Attentive to her mistress' desire, the gold blade made a bomb-rush for Draciel. The mighty turtle pushed back, remaining rooted to the center. "Kila!" Kaze said, her demand clear. Kila pulled back and patrolled the rim. But while Kaze was trying to think of an alternate plan of action, Draciel moved to the offensive. Before Kaze realized it, Draciel was pushing Kila around the dish. "Kila: Trade Winds!" Her words enacted a sudden burst of alacrity, like lightning, and the gold blade shoved back. At first, sparks flew at collision and Draciel was fighting back. Then it changed; Kila was the one bullying Draciel around. Max's blade couldn't help but submit. It was almost as if a tornado was raging against his blade.

"Draciel!" Max called out, his blade managing to scrape away. To his dismay, he found Draciel wobbling, slowing. Kila swerved around the dish and rested near the edge, back at a normal page. "Draciel?" he questioned, confused, and his gaze on his weakened blade.

"Kila has a left-spin gear. The added velocity with reverse rotation causes the opponent to lose spin since most blades have a right-spin gear." _'And keeps Kila from being affected.'_ But she didn't mention that aloud. No reason to give away all of her secrets.

"I didn't know you're also a genius."

"Pft. I wouldn't stretch it that far."

Max chuckled for a brief moment. Then his eyes returned to the dish; by the look of it, Draciel wouldn't last much longer. He had to put it all in one last attack. "Draciel: Gravity Control!" he declared. At his master's summon, Draciel rose up from his resting place. Awakened, Draciel powered up and spun circles around Kila, leaving a wall of water in its wake. Water enveloped Kila like a vice grip.

"Trade Winds!! KILA!!" Kaze beckoned with a trace of desperation. A grandiose roar responded to her, and Kila did awaken. Through the water and gale, it came into sight. The grand white tiger, offset by its wings as dark as a new moon night. Swirls of similar wings adorned its paws, its razor hair standing on end. A scar of lightning adorned its head. Its roar built up the speed of Kaze's blade, the reversed spin against the spin of the encroaching water. Friction rose between the two forces and burst. Water flew every which way, soaking both Max and Kaze. She found her blade released from the aquatic prison, but now lying still on the concrete floor. Through drenched bangs, Max saw Draciel just as lifeless in the dish.

"A tie," the two bladers simultaneously said. With one glance at each other, their smiles also came in synch, as did their laughter. Kaze picked up both blades, handing Max his Draciel.

"Thanks," he told her, taking it from her. Kaze noticed how the warmth of his hand seemed to linger on her fingertips. But it was soon forgotten as Max's next comment came. His oceanic eyes taking in both of their appearances, he laughed, "We both look like hurricane victims."

"That's putting it nicely; I'm probably going to be compared to a drowned rat when I get back to the others."

"But you can honestly tell them you tied. Doesn't that reassure you now?" Max queried.

Silver orbs softening and her grin lopsided, Kaze spoke lightly. "Yeah. Thanks a lot, Max. Thanks."

Max put his blade away and waved his hand dismissively. "Not a problem. After all, what are friends for, eh?" His response was a nod from Kaze.

"Yeah, what friends are for."

**M Y**

"WHOA!! That's a really big apple!!"

"That's probably why it's the Apple Computer store."

"…Shut-up."

Tenshi laughed at her Korean friend. They were indeed seeing the sights. It was only mid-afternoon, and they had already scoured half of the city. Now they had found their way to the shopping district. Hiniku had found personal delight in FAO Schwartz, the giant toy store with British-looking guards. She couldn't get them to laugh. So, they were moving past the toy store when she had found the hanging apple above the underground Apple Computer store. Sakura, who was enjoying the sights (both New York and the company), made her way next to her sister.

"It's too bad that Kaze didn't come with us; some of the stuff in here is pretty cool," she remarked. Tenshi shrugged.

"She wanted to stay for Max's match; they seemed to hit it off yesterday."

A mischievous glint lit Sakura's eyes. "Really now?" she queried with a sudden pique of interest. But Tenshi wasn't interested in gossip, so she kept on walking when Sakura stopped. Ahead of them was Central Park. Horse-drawn carriages trotted along the dirt paths. As the group of bladers moved along the paths, nature swirled around them as a jungle in the midst of the big city. Bright sunlight glittered through swaying branches.

"Look, Rei!" Mariah cooed, dragging the said male towards the water's edge. Swans and geese were adrift in the shallow waters.

He chuckled, but it was a rather vociferous series of honks that grabbed Rei's attention. Golden eyes searching for the source, Rei turned away from the pink mop only to overcome by hilarity. Thinking that the geese were friendly, Sakura had tried to pet one. Well, that idea was shattered when the goose started to shriek and chase after her. Sakura's own screams were only rivaled by the collection of laughter.

Her savior came in the form of Tenshi throwing some bread the opposite direction. The goose was easily distracted and devoured it, like it had never had bread before. Giving Tenshi a grateful clap on the shoulder, Sakura then proceeded to round on Hiniku, who was in hysterics. "It wasn't that funny, Hiniku," she told her straight up. Apparently, the Korean differed in opinion because her laughter didn't cease. The response: an annoyed pout. Rei, leaving Mariah, went to Sakura and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You have to admit it was funny," the object of her affections chided. A soft pink blushed her cheeks. But she was indignant.

"Not THAT funny..." Sakura persisted.

"Whatever you say."

Much to Sakura's personal joy, Mariah was just emanating jealousy from every fiber of her being; from her pink hair to her pinky toe. Latching onto Rei with obvious possessiveness, Mariah pulled him onward, babbling nonsensically the whole way. And yet again, it was to Mariah's dismay that Sakura tagged along faithfully and cheerfully. Tenshi shook her head with agitation. "Jeez, what are we going to do with her?"

"We could tie her in a straitjacket, lock her in a closet, and never let her see the light of day!"

With curious brown orbs did Tenshi gawk at Hiniku. The Korean shrugged with nonchalance. "Just a suggestion," she said. Tenshi sighed. Watching Sakura and Mariah fight for Rei's affections was like watching a movie. A movie that Lee decided to add his own subtitles.

"She's never gonna win. Sakura, I mean." As the words were leaving Lee's mouth, Tenshi's gaze sharpened toward him. He took her sudden attention as a sign to continue. "There's no way she's any competition for Mariah," he boasted.

It was quite a feat for Tenshi to suppress rolling her eyes. "Your sister doesn't seem to think so," she commented, gesturing back to the triangle unfolding before them. Lee couldn't miss the fire burning in his little sister's eyes when Sakura seemingly had captivated Rei's attention.

"Whatever. Mariah's known him forever; no new girl is gonna be able to waltz in and whisk him away."

A smirk decorated Tenshi's lips. "Well, for one thing: Sakura doesn't 'waltz' anywhere; she storms in. Second, I bet you're wrong. Sakura has a major chance, if we're looking at the same scenarios."

Slipping a hand from his pocket, Lee sneered and reached towards the female. "I'll take that bet."

"You're on," Tenshi finalized, giving his hand a brief shake.

"TENSHI!" Sakura called from ahead. Tearing from her previous conversation, Tenshi moved up to where the rest of their group was. They had stopped their travels by this large pavilion in Central Park. It seemed as though a throng was dispersing and only a young man was left on the pavilion steps with his boom box and wires. Her questioning glance was soon answered by her sister's large mouth. "It's karaoke, Tensh!" came the explanation. Puzzle pieces fell in place.

"You want my iPod so you and Hiniku can perform," Tenshi stated with a point-blank expression. Sakura gave her a sheepish nod while Hiniku went right up into Tenshi's face.

"PLEASE!! Can we use it?" she pleaded, shaking her friend violently. Tugging out of the Korean's grip, Tenshi reached deep into her pocket to pull out the musical device. Snatching it, then running back to Sakura excitedly, the duo scrolled through the endless playlist of songs.

"How about this one?"

"We need something other people can understand."

"So?"

"So it should probably be in English."

"Oh. Crap," Hiniku grumbled, searching continuously. Reaching the end of her patience, Tenshi took the iPod from their hands and selected a song from it. Shining the title to them, her teammates agreed. "Asian, yet English--I like it!" Upon receiving positive feedback, Tenshi had moved towards the sound equipment and assured the young man that she could handle the sound. He allowed her free reign. By this time, Rei, the other members of White Tiger X, and people had begun to gather, curious. Tenshi fixed up the sound and threw two microphones to her friends, who deftly caught them. They smiled and Tenshi hit play. That's when a series of pop beats began to blare, to which Hiniku and Sakura moved to accordingly. Taking up the music and the lead, Sakura began to sing.

"_It's been so long,_

_Since you were here with me._

_Since you left me,_

_I could I set you free. _

_It's just a game,_

_Without myself again._

_Finally, I'm ready to confess you see._

_Cause I did some good, and I did some bad,_

_And I know what we had was true,_" Sakura sang, stepping back with Hiniku, all the while performing simple dance steps to the song. Performing was no stranger to them. Grinning broadly, they sang together in a blend of musical harmony.

"_You still my No.1,_

_You're all I'm thinking of,_

_The one I can't deny,_

_I guess you know the sore built inside,_

_I love this song,_

_This all you said and done,_

_You still my No.1!_"

The addictive beats and vocal melodies were all-consuming. Soon the entire crowd was swaying and growing. Rei watched on in a mixture of amusement and delight, being pleasantly surprised by the girls' musical talents. Mariah was seething and Sakura was enjoying every minute of it. But other faces melded into the crowd overlooked. The Blitzkrieg Boys were amongst the many faces. Tala's eyes narrowed, skeptical as Hiniku took up the lead for the second verse.

"_The things I said,_

_I take 'em back, you know._

_It's not the end,_

_Cause now I'm taking my stand!_

_And I miss you,_

_And I want you back,_

_In my life!_"

"_ I want you back in my life, I want you back in my life!_" Sakura's voice followed in a distant echo.

"_Cause I did some good, and I did some bad, _

_And I know what we had was true!_"

Whilst Hiniku and Sakura's voices dove into the chorus again, Tenshi's head was nodding softly to the joyful beats as she sat in the background. She couldn't sing, and she knew that. It was all too common for Sakura and Hiniku to sing on stage; Tenshi was their self-appointed sound crew. Before she realized it, they had sung through the chorus and the beats grew softer for the bridge.

"_I remember the days,_

_How we used to laugh,_

_How we used to dance to this song,_" sang Hiniku. After she finished and as Sakura picked up, Tenshi found herself being dragged over to the stage.

"_And after all this time,_

_I have no regret,_

_You're still my no.1!_

_WOOOAAHH!_" Sakura's voice soared, loud and clear as a crystal bell.

"_Doo!_" Hiniku hip-bumped Tenshi.

"_Doo doo doo doo doo!_"

Tenshi was continuously jostled between her two friends. Eventually, she smirked; they want her to dance, she'll dance.

"_Doo doo doo doo doo!_

_Doo doo doo doo!_

_Doo doo doo doo doo!_

_Doo doo doo doo!_"

While Sakura and Hiniku doo-ed to the beat, Tenshi had danced her way into the crowd. She moved as she willed herself to move, flowing with the music. Swerve. Curve, Wave. Spin. Flip. It all came natural to Tenshi. Music was just thriving from her very core to her veins. Her brain hardly registered it when the duo began to sing again.

"_You still my No.1,_

_You're all I'm thinking of,_

_The one I can't deny!_"

Eyes, hidden amongst the crowd, could only watch and stare. More than one blader in the crowd couldn't tear his eyes away. Rei smiled openly, his golden orbs tracing Sakura's voice amongst the duet and sound. There was no doubt in his mind how amazing it was; it had a vibrato that could not be ignored. A tone that demanded to be heard. It had _soul_.

"_I guess you know the sore built inside,_

_I love this song,_

_This all you said and done,_

_You still my No.1!_"

From the back, undetected, the Blitzkrieg Boys gazed. Two of them, to be specific. Wherever Tenshi moved, Kai's eyes followed. Previous experiences showed him that she was serious, dedicated and determined. But at that moment, there was none of that. No anger. No embarrassment. Just pure, unadulterated joy. All of her frustration seemed to have dissipated as soon as she started to dance. For once, it seemed as though a weight wasn't bearing down on her. No. There was one other time like that.

**FLASHBACK**

_The scenery from the hotel was __beautiful__. As the wind howled and swept across the icy wasteland, a light layer of snow would be picked up. The snow danced and twirled in the silvery moonlight. Then, as it fell slowly back down, the fluff showered down like falling stars. Tenshi took in a deep breath of the frozen air._

_"It's magical, isn't it?" the female asked aloud. Kai said nothing, just continued to stare out at the fallen snow. A breeze blew by, brushing through his blue, spiky hair. Tenshi smiled to herself. "It's just like my old backyard back in Japan. The snow would pile up, then some would just come to life and dance with the wind! It was just AMAZING!"_

**END FLASHBACK**

That time on the balcony: it was like this. It was similar to getting glimpses of a puzzle before it was finished. And from the looks of things, it seemed like there was more she was hiding than just who the Shinigamiz were. Kai's eyes narrowed at the thought. He never did find out the answer about the night before. She didn't know? No. He wouldn't accept that answer.

"Kai," Tala's voice summoned, bringing him out from the confines of his mind. It seemed the redhead had grown bored and was ready to move on.

'_I __will__ find out what's going on, Tenshi_,' he vowed in silence. Sending the female a glare she would never see, Kai pushed onward ahead of his team.

"_You still my No.1,_

_You're all I'm thinking of,_

_The one I can't deny,_

_I guess you know the sore built inside,_

_I love this song,_

_This all you said and done,_

_You still my No.1!_"

As the song started to come near an end, Tala rested his gaze once more on the Korean singing on stage. The loud voice that escaped her lips seemed almost disproportionate with her size, but Tala knew otherwise from personal experience just how loud Hiniku was. His sapphire eyes trailed to the abandoned crutches off to her side and his mind went back to that night in Russia. His mind was scolding him for helping her out; she was his competition, for lack of a better word. And yet, another part of him was telling Tala that he did the right thing. Had it been anyone else aside from a couple other people, there wouldn't have been any help granted. So why would he help someone all he did was argue with?

Within that instant when Tala was swimming within contemplation, Hiniku looked over his way, smiling and singing. She wasn't looking at him, but all the same, a thud echoed lightly within his chest. Tala's gaze shifted quickly down to the soft pounding of his heart. His heart. Never had it beat on an irregular pattern, nor had it ever skipped. So why was it awakening? When Tala found the answer to that, then he would know what really went down that Russian night…

The song had ended and the crowd was dispersing. When the girls climbed down from the makeshift stage, there was no trace that anyone other than that little group had ever been there. Sakura was greeted back by Rei's open grin. "That was really good, Sakura!" he complimented, taking Sakura by surprise. A small blush of embarrassment flushed her cheeks.

"Thanks, Rei. But Hiniku sang with me and Tenshi was our technician," she said, partially wanting to divide the attention. Sakura couldn't take all the credit, and she knew it.

And it worked. Rei's compliments soon reached to her female teammates. "Yeah, Hiniku, you were really good, too. And Tenshi: I didn't know you could dance." As the two Winged Guardians were drawn into small talk, Sakura noticed the pouting Mariah in the background. Her face was shriveled in discontentment. When her brother tried to talk to her, the pink-haired girl merely shrugged her off. Sakura grinned.

_'Score—Sakura: One. Mariah: Zilch!'_ she thought in victory.

"Sakura!" her sister's voice called out. Pulling from her thought-process, Sakura found the group a few paces up the path, staring back at her. "Are you coming or what?" Tenshi asked, her tone leaving little for negotiation. Then again, Sakura didn't want to negotiate.

"Yeah! I'm coming, hold your horses!" Sakura replied, running up to them. Rei's side greeted her with a smile. As the chit-chat began once more, they continued through the park at peace. It hadn't been a bad day. They'd won a match, gotten to hang out with Rei, she was able to sing, and she made Mariah feel threatened by her presence. Not a bad day. Not a bad day at all.

**H E A R T**

* * *

**Once again, I'm really sorry I'm late with this, you guys. I promis to try and stay more on top of it. And please forgive me if you think its crappy; some parts just didn't want to come out right. Once again, sorry and I hope you enjoyed it. BEWII!**

**Mishi-chan**


	9. Why?

**Never Stop My Heart**

**By Mishi-chan**

**A/N: Hey everybody! I'm back on time with this update. I'm glad some of you enjoyed my NejiTen one-shot. Thanks for the support, guys! This chappie's shorter than my others, but I hope you all will find it just as good. Not much to say this time around.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, but I do own Tenshi and the Winged Guardians' bit-beasts. Invisible Love and MuraSakura own Hiniku and Sakura respectively. My associate owns Kaze and I finally realized that I also own the Shinigamiz. XD**

**This month's update goes to my good friend, Kaze-kun. One as a birthday gift (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) and the other because of your absolutely hilarious review for the last chappie. I give you props for that one. You've been a great friend.**

**Now, on with the infamous Chappie 9!**

* * *

"Snap!"

Tenshi's words hissed through gritted teeth. Her russet eyes shot to glance at her teammate, who was currently still sleeping peacefully. After reassuring Sakura was not awakened, Tenshi continued out of the room, closing the door behind her. She massaged her toe; why did Sakura's bag have to be right by the door where it could so easily be tripped over? After jotting a quick note to her team, slipping on her shoes, and closing the suite door, Tenshi was out of there. Soon stepping out into the sunny streets of New York, she checked herself. Cell phone? Check. Earphones? After fitting them into the crannies of her ears, Tenshi thought to herself with a smile, _'Check.'_

Dressed in athletic shorts and a hoodie, Tenshi turned on some upbeat tunes and began jogging down the street. Weaving through people, cars, and streetlights, she found herself at her destination: the park. Fixated, her gaze found the path she'd run into when searching for Sakura and Hiniku the other day. Tenshi started down the worn path, humming along to "New World" by BACK-ON, the rock pumping the blood to her brain and awakening her senses.

Although it was only seven in the morning, the life-giving beams from above fluttered through trees and shone upon her. A cool breeze blew by her, but with the combined force of her hoodie and knee-length socks, Tenshi felt unaffected. Squirrels scurried among the bushes, find solace in one of the only green areas in the city. She jogged along on a crystal path, dewdrops shimmering in the light. Crisp northern air went in and out of her. Inhale. Exhale.

Song after song played while though after thought plagued. The Shinigamiz. Their captain. Something felt familiar about them. Why else would she not pull away?

**FLASHBACK**

_No one was around. It was dark. Her muscles were tight from sleep. Thinking fast, she braced herself to lash out and run if necessary. The chains that closed his cloak clanged as he moved. The Shinigami kneeled down, eye to eye with Tenshi. Her wary eyes widened as he reached for her. Just as she was about to slap him away, his gloved hand brushed her face. Tenshi's heart stopped. Further, the shadow moved a strand of her hair out of her face._

_Tenshi's instincts were screaming for her to kick him in the gut and get the heck out of there. But her mind was telling a different story. The brief touch was almost… familiar. Like a requiem of her past. Her face furrowed. "Who are you…?" she heard herself mutter. _

**END FLASHBACK**

"Who are you, indeed," Tenshi felt herself muttered. This is exactly why she needed to jog: to clear her head. A morning run helped her release the stress of night and rid her mind of any distractions. And what was she berated with? Distractions. She shook her head from side to side, as if to begin the cleansing process. Unfortunately, a loose strand of hair from her messy bun fell in front of her face instead. As she reached to brush it from her eyes, her hand jostled the earphone and began to hang limply at her side. But that was when she first heard it: the soft trotting of footsteps behind her. Glancing downwards, Tenshi found a large shadow coming steadily upon her own. Out of courtesy, she edged towards the right, in case the person wanted to pass. However, she did not expect it to be Kai Hiwatari.

A peek at the enclosing male showed his scarf had been discarded, as he was just running in his shirt, jacket, and usual pants. Surges of that night in the hallway exploded in her mind, raising little red warning flags. _'I have got to get out of here!'_ Tenshi thought to herself. Deciding it was better to get out before he started the questions, she picked up her pace, edging ahead of Kai.

Meanwhile, Kai finally took in the appearance of the person beside him. What had triggered his awareness were the icy blue bangs tucked behind the jogger's ears. With one survey, Kai confirmed it was Tenshi. And from what he could tell, she wasn't surrounded by her teammates. He saw an opportunity, and he was going to take it. However subtle it was, Kai noticed her sudden rigid posture and how she began to slowly pull ahead. To him, that just screamed of someone hiding something. Picking up his speed as well, Kai closed the gap between them, keeping himself in pace with Tenshi.

But when Kai got closer, all Tenshi wanted to do was get farther. She quickened her step, now running. Much to her dismay, Kai did the same. When he began to gain a lead over her, Tenshi saw Kai's crimson eye shoot her a look. A look that she quickly averted. A look that seemed as though it were going into her mind, unlocking. This went on for some time, their movements consistently growing faster. Faster to a point where Tenshi knew she couldn't win. Tenshi moved off the beaten path to venture a ways into the woods. Kai, predictably, followed with victory in sight. And there she found it. As she pulled up to the clearing, the sun reflected off a small pool of quiet waters. The animals drinking at the watering hole quickly fled, leaving Kai and Tenshi with no audience. With a soft plop, she seated herself, her back to Kai. "You're persistent, I'll give you that," she stated calmly. Her gaze refused to meet his own when he sat down an arms-length away. "But that doesn't explain why you're so persistent."

"If there's any information that can help me beat those nut-jobs, I want it," he replied through his stoic mask.

"I suppose that's true," Tenshi said softly. Silence hung in-between, like a draping curtain. The melody of the animals was sung in the air. It would've been easy to get lost in her thoughts if not for the males seated near her. "But I told the truth the first time: I don't know anything."

It didn't go unacknowledged that her tone became more confident, certain. Slowly Kai start to accept that as the truth. However, it was his doubts that showed through. "Then what was that little scene in the hallway the other night?" Kai questioned. His eyes took in her aggravated reaction, how her face suddenly grimaced in an annoyed confusion, how her hand seemed to reach up to run through her hair, and how it was denied since it was already pulled back.

"I don't know!" Tenshi growled. Her head was spinning with that same question, the answer elusive. "I'm just as lost as you are," she confessed with an irritable sigh. "Trust me, if I knew, I'd tell you. I still owe you one."

Kai knew what she meant. She meant the time when she fainted. The time when he helped her. He wanted to tell her to forget about it, but what he wanted more was information of the Shinigamiz. "I'm going to hold you to that," Kai guaranteed her. She nodded in agreement. The two sat in another silence, this one not as tense. Flipping open her cell phone, her eyes viewed the time. With a snap of her cell phone, she was on her feet.

"Is that all then?" Tenshi queried, finally risking a look at Kai. The soft breeze ruffled his slate hair as Kai looked to meet her gaze. Although his grunt of reply told her no, there was turmoil swirling in the abyss of his eyes. They were searching for a question, making sure he had no more before his interrogation ended and his witness left. Tenshi's own eyes drifted to the serene pool once more, but then she put her earphones back in and jogged out of sight without another word.

Kai lingered there, finding solace in the woods amongst the industrial calamity. Out from the bushes, a cat crept out, wary. Moving sluggishly towards Kai, the stray took a couple sniffs of Kai before settling at his side. Kai welcomed the distraction by gently stroking the cat's head, his mind elsewhere. And his somewhat peace of mind wouldn't return until he found a way to beat the Shinigamiz.

**N E V E R**

Tenshi stepped out of the bathroom, showered, dressed, and hair dry. Sidestepping Sakura's bag this time, she left the room and closed the door behind her. As Tenshi reached for an apple off of the counter, she realized she wasn't the only one awake anymore. "Kaze? Awake before noon on a day without matches? Pinch me, I'm dreaming."

Kaze yawned a laugh. "Yeah, a miracle. I promised Max I'd come to the All-Starz' match today," she explained, trying to tie her shoes through half-lidded eyes. "Hiniku's still sleeping."

"So is Sakura."

"I'm guessing they're not gonna go; it was an invitation for the whole team," Kaze said, stifling another yawn. Once her shoes were firmly planted, Kaze stood, stretching. Eyeballing her munching teammate, she asked, "Are you going to come?"

Tenshi swallowed the bite of her apple and grinned. "Sure," she answered. "Who else is going to make sure you get there without hitting every single door frame possible?" Kaze cracked a smile. Throwing away the apple's core, Tenshi slipped her sneakers back on.

"Geez, Tenshi. Are apples all you eat?" Kaze queried with an exasperated glance.

Tenshi smiled. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," she clichéd. "And we all know how much I hate doctors."

Slipping out of the hotel and into the street, they walked in sunshine. Air was warm against Tenshi's bare arms, yet cool as to which Kaze kept her jacket on. Upon reaching the stadium, the female bladers were immediately admitted and seated in the row closest to the pit of the arena. "Oh, the perks of being a blader," Kaze stated, comfortably settling into her seat. Tenshi nodded in agreement.

"Who are they facing?"

"No idea," Kaze confessed, shameless in her absence of knowledge. Rolling her eyes good naturedly, Tenshi centered her attention at the dish beneath them.

Jazzman had appeared, ready as ever. "Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to day two of the American stage of the Beyblading World Championships!!" Undetered by the cheers of hundreds of fans, Jazzman continued. "For the first match, pleace welcome the homes team: the PPB All-Starz!" By the noise level in the stadium, an outsider would think they all had won the lottery.

Out they came, one by one. When Kaze caught Max's view, she waved, which he returned. Following Max's line of sight, a smirk quickly spread across Eddie's face. He tapped on Michael's shoulder and pointed up to the stands. The same smirk broadened Michael's lips. If Tenshi was more definitive in lip-read, then would've been more than certain that when Michael spoke, he was saying, "Shortie." All the same, she scowled, knowing internally what Michael had said as he waved at her. Receiving her sour look, Michael appeared to laugh, walking up to the dish.

"But will they be dethroned in their home-town? Facing America's team will be the mystery of the tournament! Put your hands together for the Shinigamiz!"

However, Jazzman's words had a reverse effect on the crowd. As the cloaks walked into the arena, cheers ceased and desisted and blood ran cold. Tenshi, like her blood, was frozen.

"No…" she mumbled. It didn't rake a glance to know that Kaze was a statue. "Crap, no…" Tenshi swore. Cloaked footsteps stopped opposite of Michael. His blade was drawn. Michael's face held no laughter as it once did. Stealing a look at the masses, Michael sent up a reassuring smirk. But Tenshi's apprehension only gripped her tighter. The crowd was on pins and needles. And once the battle started, the routine began. Darkness rolled across the dish, swallowing the blades and their masters. Seconds, minutes passed. Clashes like thunder could be heard. A shout of protest. It was over. Entrance was granted the Sun, revealing a broken, pale Michael. He was similar to his blade in that respect.

When the Shinigami was declared victor, not a soul clapped, cheered or did anything of the sort. There was hardly a shred of recognition for the winning blader. Once he had departed from the dish, another Shinigami replaced him. As Michael stood, he stared long and hard at his antagonists before returning to the All-Starz' bench. Once glance at Michael's coach told Tenshi everthing. "His blade totaled."

Kaze nodded sympathetically. "They all are after these matches. I just wanna know what goes on in there," she sighed. Down at the bench, Max's face was clouded, grim. It as to Kaze's relief that he wasn't to blade the next match, but Rick instead. Rick, irritable as ever, stepped up to the dish, .

"Well, folks, this could be the end of the line for the All-Starz. Should they lose this match, then they are out of the Championships!" Jazzman stressed. But as he counted down, the crowd knew there was no 'if' about it. "Let it rip!"

And just like that, shadows returned. Spectators watched with bated breath. Time ticked away slowly, seconds like hours. A roar. A shatter. And it was done. Rick's blade was dispersed around the dish, chipped, decimated. Like the others, Rick was considerably paler. But unlike the others, while his spirit might've been broken, his ego and his pride were not. He held no connection to his blade, but to winning. Pride wounded, eyes ablaze, Rick was infuriated.

"You freak: what the heck?!" Rick bellowed, the tenacity echoing in his tenor. "I'm not done with you yet!" Paying him no heed, the Shinigami turned away; that motion alone set Rick off. Bull on a rampage, Rick charged up to him, forced him around, and lifted him up the by the hood. With Rick's fists shaking him, the tremors sent the Shinigami's hood flying…

Everyone grew silent, a face revealed. A face Tenshi knew. The hazel eyes. The honey-nut hair. The masculine face that was darkened with annoyance and competitive sting. "Kyogi," Tenshi breathed, her voice so low Kaze couldn't hear. Flash of black—the hood was back on. But as the fight broke apart and the Shinigamiz slipped away, Tenshi was out of the stands and running—sprinting, to be more accurate. In the caves of her mind, she heard Kaze call after her, but she disregarded it. Memories surfaced, swirling out of control. Kyogi. Kyogi was competitive, hardheaded. Only one person could lead him to do anything, ever. In that moment, she knew who the captain was. In her heart, it was right. In her head, it had to be wrong.

Skidding into the desolate team halls, she stopped, waited, watched as the billowing cloaks moved closer still. As predicted, Kyogi was being scolded, their captain at their steed. Smothering the doubt that welled in her chest, Tenshi mustered as much stability as possible. "Spartan," she intimated, tone hiding her anxiety. The whole group froze. Snicker came from the unknown ones.

"Go," their leader commanded. The voice came so quickly from her past that her doubts were erased. With just a word, the cloaks broke from formation, waving past her to leave them be. As Kyogi passed Tenshi, he avoided her gaze with conviction. Thus soon they were alone in the dim corridor.

"Spartan," Tenshi repeated, trying to convince herself. A chuckle followed, a requiem of a distant time. Slowly the hood disappeared, revealing one of the faces that had haunted her. "So it is you." Chestnut met with gray, but then proceeded to take in the rest of his face. It was thin, pale, but his eyes still held a flicker of light. His hair, like rosewood, was fair, yet obscure. A smirk rested upon his once-encouraging lips.

"Once Kyogi was blown, I knew it was only a matter of time." Tenshi was rooted, torn between so many emotions and reactions. He sniggered and opened his arms wide. "What," Spartan sneered, "no hug?"

Tenshi's expression glazed over, steeled. "I thought you were **dead**." Her words were spoken through tight lips and gritted teeth. This only served to spur him on.

"Funny thing about death: it can be so easily manipulated," Spartan snickered, enjoying his jest.

"Two years." Tenshi's voice was saturated with reminiscence. A couple steps and she was before him, eyes ablaze. "I've thought you were **dead** for TWO FREAKIN' YEARS!" Much to her irritation, he kept simpering.

Reaching to her brunette locks, Spartan stated, "Still so angry; you haven't changed a bit." Tenshi deftly smacked his hand away with a snarl.

"Don't touch me!"

An ember ignited in his eyes, and suddenly Tenshi found herself pinned to the wall. His forearm across her throat, she savored the air given to her in allowance. The tall face leaned into her own, leering, sneering, satisfied. "I always was the stronger one." Spartan's breath floated across her cheeks, a passing ghost. Betrayal rose up in her throat, almost seeping out as tears in her eyes. No. She wouldn't cry. Not here. Not now. His mouth moving to her ear, he added, "Because you were always **weak**."

That word set a forest fire inside her. Rallying her strength, Tenshi raised a leg and successfully kicked Spartan in the gut. Muscle forcing him to gasp for breath, Tenshi leapt away. She wanted to punch him, but if she did, she didn't know if she'd be able to stop. With one last piercing glance at him, Tenshi spat, "_Not anymore_." Before her mind knew it, she was flying away. Through blurred vision, Tenshi ran face-first into someone. Trying to force close the dams of her eyes, she kept on running, sparing no glance back.

Kai was startled as Tenshi came hurling at him. Her face was blood-shot, her body a ghost. Crystals in her eyes, she shoved past him without a word, leaving Kai to watch her retreating figure. His attention was redirected, however, by a dark chuckle. Spartan stood up, humor going rippling through him in tremors. With a cynical brow raised, Kai saw his opponent for the first time. Between the Shinigami's sadistic grin and Tenshi's plight, Kai could only guess that their meeting wasn't their first.

As if noticing Kai at last, Spartan stopped, but his lip remained furled. He pulled up his hood, as if Kai hadn't already committed his face to memory, and proceeded down the corridor. However, in passing, Spartan spoke with a sense of foreboding. "Good luck, Kai. We'll be watching." His sneer was audible to Kai, who glared. A swish of his cloak and a couple steps later, Spartan was gone, leaving Kai to stand there. It was moments later when Kai's gaze shifted away from Spartan's departure.

'_Looks like I've just gotten some more questions_,' he thought. The reminder of a promise tingled inside of him; he would get his answers. But in the meantime, Kai went on to his locker room. After all, he had a match to win.

**S T O P**

Afternoon turned to evening, the only indication being the Sun's fading light. It shrunk behind the treetops, the shadows creeping across the grass. Leaves and twigs crunched quietly beneath Kai's feet. Creatures of the day snuggled up to sleep whilst the night prowlers roamed. A shout of frustration could be heard in the distance, accompanied by the melody of a beyblade. His path, lit by the waning moon, led him to the clearing. Originally, Kai had gone there for isolation, for training. But yet, from the sounds of it, the person providing the company was the person he needed to talk to.

Lying on the ground, draped by silver light, was Tenshi. Trees held the scars of her fallen blade, Her hair strung out, as was her body, she panted. Tenshi breathed a sigh and closed her eyes. "His name is Spartan Sotou," she said, knowing full well it was Kai and what he wanted. As she forced herself upright, Tenshi could see Kai set himself on the grass, much like they were that morning.

"So you do know him." It wasn't a question.

Slowly, she nodded. "I didn't figure it out till after we talked," Tenshi defensively confessed. "Not until I saw his teammate, Kyogi Arakaki. I still don't know who the other two are, but it's a start."

Taking a minute to process the information, Kai remained silent. Tenshi took the opportunity to put her blade in its holder and take a swig of water from her bottle. "How well do you know them?"

"Pretty well," Tenshi told him bitterly. "We used to all hang out together, but then Kyogi moved and left us behind. I guess the two must've kept in touch. And Spartan…."

Kai's stare drifted to look at her as her voice trailed. Tenshi had hardened her eyes, her lax muscles now clenched. Taking a deep breath of the crisp night, she relaxed, but her eyes remained the same. "Spartan is irritable and focused. He's a great competitor because he hates to lose. Same with Kyogi, but it takes a bit more to actually anger him, but he's a bit . AS for their blades, I haven't a clue as to what's up with them. They didn't blade until now, as far as I know."

Stillness filled the space between them. An owl hooted in the distance, the crickets and frogs joining in the medley and drowning out the hustle of the city. "I don't know why he's doing this." Her tone came much softer, almost vulnerable. "He was encouraging, fun, and a great friend." Tenshi paused. "When my family was killed, Spartan was on vacation. As soon as he found out, he came right back to be there for me and help me out…. Spartan is—no, was the big brother I never had and the little brother that I lost." With a shake of her head, Tenshi chuckled weakly. "Man, I must sound pathetic."

"The past can come back and bite you," Kai input. His sudden voice grabbed Tenshi's attention, her eyes wide as they whipped towards him. As for Kai, his gaze never shifted from the rippling waters. "And when it does, sometimes the bite reopens old wounds. But," he stated, "you're only pathetic if you let it get the best of you. So don't let it get to you."

Another chuckle rose from Tenshi's throat. "Easier said than done," she told him sardonically. "I mean, how would you deal with someone who's supposed to be _dead_?" Judging from his expression, Tenshi guessed Kai was perplexed. "Spartan—he died about two years ago, or at least, I had thought so. I still don't see how he could've survived. That accident scorched and fried him; even after they had salvaged enough DNA to prove it was him, I still saw his corpse. I _saw_ how bad the damage was; broken bones from the car hitting him, skin melted off by the flames when a second car slammed into the first—there was no way that he could've survived. No way."

"And this was after the death of your family?"

"Yeah, so it was hard. It's still hard." A thoughtful silence. "But I guess that's why you have to push through it. It's kind of like training. If you don't push yourself, you won't get any stronger."

Clouds moved in the night sky and across the moon, shading them in darkness. A hush fell upon the animals and for just a moment, everything was silent. The city rush seemed so far away. Just peace. Tranquility. And them. Tenshi couldn't remember the last time she just talked with a guy. No sports. No school. Just talk.

"Why?"

Tenshi was shaken from her thoughts by Kai's question. "Hm?" she hummed, unclear.

Kai spoke again. "Why? Why are you telling me this?"

The question struck her. "Well," Tenshi began, choosing her words carefully. "Someone once told me that talking about things can help you move on. I never talked about it; my team gets the gist, but I never told them too much. It hurt. But, it's easy to talk to you. It's almost as if…." Tilting her head to look at him with a knowing grin, tinged with grief, Tenshi faced him fully. "…As if you know what it's like."

With crimson eyes, Kai stared back at her wordlessly. Her soft words had connected them. As the clouds glided away from the moon, silver rained down upon them and Kai saw her for the first time. Locks of ice framed her face, her brown eyes tender. And yet, she still held a bit of her tough gait. Her grin had merged into a smirk and her hair a bit messy from training before he'd reached her.

And they sat there for a moment, basking in the nightlight. Tenshi could feel Kai's scrutiny, piercing her own. His jaw was lax, his expression guarded. The painted triangles on his face defined his lips, which were pursed with thought. After a time, she sighed and stood, breaking the silence with her yawning stretch. Her voice came light-heartedly, as if the past few minutes had never happened.

"If I figure anything else out, I'll tell you. Now that I have a start, I should be able to get some more info." Tenshi double-checked to make sure she had her blade and moved to the edge of the clearing before regarding him again. "And thanks again."

Nothing needed to be said as she left. When her footsteps had long since faded, Kai focused upwards at the waning moon, with a lop-sided smirk on his lips.

**M Y**

"I'm back," Tenshi announced as normally as she could, entering the main living arrangement of the team suite. No arguing voices called back to her. A note sat propped up on the counter. "Kaze at a captain's meeting; we're out shopping. Will bring back dinner. Sakura," she read aloud. That explained the abnormal quietness. Crumbling up the note, Tenshi trashed it and proceeded to the shower. Twenty minutes later and she was dressed in sweats and a tank top, her hair sobbing wet.

With closed eyes, she fell back onto her bed. Tenshi ran her hand across the nightstand to grab her iPod. Slipping her earphones in, she curled up against the pillows, still wishing she were wrong.

**I remember when we used to laugh about nothing at all  
It was better than going mad  
From trying to solve all the problems we're going through  
Forget 'em all**

_"OHMYGOSH!" Spartan yelled into her ear, grabbing her shoulders from behind and giving them an abrupt shake. Tenshi yelped in shock, whirling around with a closed fist to hit her attacker. Spartan jumped back, laughing hysterically. Tenshi's eyes widened as she sighed a relief._

_"Spartan! I'm gonna kill you!" Tenshi informed him in false anger, proceeding to chase him across the schoolyard. He ran, yelling all the way with a broad grin. Tenshi lunged to grab him, only to find he'd dodged her and she'd fallen flat on the grass. Spartan loomed over her, laughing. She found herself laughing good-naturedly. And they just couldn't stop._

**Cause on those nights we would stand and never fall  
Together we faced it all  
Remember when we'd**

**Stay up late and we'd talk all night  
In the dark room lit by the TV light  
Through all the hard times in my life  
Those nights kept me alive**

_The front door flew open, revealing a haggard Spartan. He quickly made his way to Tenshi, who sat on her couch in shock, clutching her arms as if they'd disappear if she let go. "Tensh, I'm sorry!" were his first words, slightly muffled as Tenshi wrapped her arms around him desperately. His arms wrapped around her sobbing form. "So I guess it's true… I would ask how you're holding up, but I can guess not so well."_

_Tenshi nodded her head, wiping her tears on his shoulder. "They're gone," she hiccupped, her voice giving way to her sorrow. "All of them. Gone…"_

_"I'm right here, Tensh. I'm here for you."_

**We'd listen to the radio play all night  
Didn't want to go home to another fight  
Through all the hard times in my life  
Those nights kept me alive**

_"Do you have a place to stay?" he asked Tenshi, bringing her a drink from the kitchen. She sipped the water wearily, her energy gone with the tears._

_"Sakura's staying the night with me, and then I'll probably move in with her. Her parents were talking about it to the cops earlier," she replied. Spartan stood up._

_"I'll stay with you until Sakura gets here, but then I've got to get home. But until then…" Spartan pulled two DVDs from his bag, grinning weakly. "Wanna watch a movie? A good comedy never hurt anybody."_

**I remember when we used to drive anywhere but here  
As long as we'd forget our lives  
We were so young and confused  
That we didn't know to laugh or cry**

_Tenshi came bounding out of the house, her heart lighter than it'd been in weeks. Spartan was there to greet her, seated on a bike with another at his side. "You decided to come after all; took you long enough," he joked as Tenshi mounted her bike. As they headed down the street, Spartan shot her grin. "So, where shall we go, Birthday Girl?"_

_"Anywhere but here," she responded, smiling back._

_"To the beach, it is! Race ya!" Spartan yelled, pedaling past her._

_"HEY! Get back here, you loser!"_

**Those nights were ours  
They will live and never die  
Together we'd stand forever  
Remember when we'd**

_"Thank-you!" she sang as Spartan handed her an ice-cream cone and seated himself next to her. The cold waves licked their feet at the shoreline. Tenshi knew she was going to have a sand rash the next day. "Yummay!" Tenshi commented as her face indulged in the ice-cream. Spartan chuckled._

_"You got something on your face," he told her. Just when she faced him, a splatter of Spartan's ice-cream hit her in the face. Alongside her yelp, she shoved some of her own into his face. _

_Fireworks lit up the summer night, showering them with reds and blues and greens. "Thanks, Spartan. This has been a great birthday."_

_He grinned back at her. "Duh. What else are best friends for?"_

**Stay up late and we'd talk all night  
In the dark room lit by the TV light  
Through all the hard times in my life  
Those nights kept me alive**

_"Spartan?" Tenshi questioned, movie credits scrolling down the screen. Her eyes moved to the guy sleeping upright on the couch. "Spartan, you've got to wake up." Tenshi nudged his shoulder. He let out an inhumane snore and fell to rest his head on her shoulder. "Spartan!" she persisted, trying to push the deadweight off of her, but her pushed back, grinning through lidded eyes._

_"No!" Spartan retorted, refusing to move. So, Tenshi tried a different approach and got off the couch. She giggled in spite of herself when his body fell and he hit his head on the arm of the couch. "Geez! And you call ME mean…"_

**We'd listen to the radio play all night  
Didn't want to go home to another fight**

_"So, you and Sakura are having a fight?" Spartan asked, offering her a cookie. She refused, nodding._

_"I think all of the stress of her parents offering to adopt me and us living without them now has just put both of us at our wit's end."_

_Leaning against the counter, Spartan took a swig of his soda before setting it on the counter. "Well, you can stay here tonight then. It'll give you two a night apart and we can hang out, watch movies, play cards. Siblings need a break from each other every once and a while."_

_"But Sakura and I aren't even siblings," Tenshi pointed out, pouring herself a glass of milk. Spartan shrugged. _

_"Same situation; best friends stuck with each other day in and day out. Sometimes you just need a little break so you can look at things more clearly and with more __patience__." Spartan eyeballed Tenshi pointedly. She promptly stuck her tongue out at him. "But what d'you say? Sound good?"_

_"Are you sure, Spartan?"_

_"Positive."_

_Tenshi grinned, setting her glass on the counter. "Then yeah, it sounds good."_

**Through all the hard times in my life  
Those nights kept me alive**

The rest of the song fell upon deaf ears with Tenshi drowning in her mind. No matter how hard she tried, the question 'why?' kept turning up.

_"Why? Why are you telling me this?"_

A reminiscent of Kai's voice shattered her trance. Kai. _'Man, I was so stupid, blurting out stuff like that,'_ Tenshi thought. Her problems were her own, not anybody else's. But at the same time, Kai had answered her. "Careful, Tensh. You're going to get burned again," she mumbled, clutching a pillow tighter. She could the music fade to silence and a door slammed nearby.

"Tensh? We're back!"

Tenshi sat up and slid off the bed, discarding her iPod. Tiptoeing to the doorframe, she watched with slight amusement as Sakura and Hiniku came back with bags and bags of apparel. "Buy enough to clothe a third-world country, did ya?" she commented. Sakura shot her a look of exasperation.

"Speak to Hiniku! Only this one's mine!" she retorted, holding up a small bag. Both girls glanced pointedly at their Korean friend.

"WHAT?! You couldn't expect me not to shop thoroughly when I actually have money!" she attempted to justify her actions.

"Sure, whatever Hiniku."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Sakura faced her sister, her brows furrowing. "Are you okay, Tensh? You seem a bit out of it," she inquired, taking in her lazy state of appearance and lack of customary smirk. Not to mention, on normal circumstances, she would've annoyed Hiniku more so than just one offhand comment. Even her vibrant eyes seemed duller, weary.

Tenshi's mind raced. No. She wouldn't tell them about the Shinigamiz. Not until she knew exactly what was going on. They couldn't afford to be distracted from the upcoming semi-finals. "I'm fine, why do you ask?" she responded, carefully controlling her feigned surprise of the question.

With hesitance Sakura gave her another once-over before answering. "Just curious," she told her, wary. But before more could be said, the door opened and closed again as Kaze entered.

"Hey guys! Guess what these are!" she told them, flashing four little slips of paper at them. The room was silenced by the hum of thought.

"Um… coupons for a restaurant?" Hiniku ventured to guess, shrugging naively.

Kaze pointed at her with a broad grin. "Wrong! Anybody else?" Tenshi shook her head and Sakura sighed.

"No, so what are they?" Sakura said.

"You guys are no fun. These," Kaze gestured to the slips in her hand, "are unlimited day passes to the beach and boardwalk nearby, exclusive for bladers in the World Championships!"

"Seriously?" Hiniku marveled, reaching greedily for them.

Kaze promptly pulled them from her grasp. "Yep! Mr. Dickinson continues to shower us with glad tidings of a break. All of the teams are going tomorrow since there are no matches and we leave the day after. So, are we going?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Sakura reprimanded her, grinning from ear to ear. When Kaze surveyed them with a smile, her eyes landed on Tenshi and her eyes became soft with concern.

"Hey, are you okay, Tenshi?"

Sighing, vexed, Tenshi snapped, "Yes. All of you, I'm fine. I'm just tired and I'm going to bed early tonight. Goodnight." She shut the suite door and flipped off the lights. Curling up under her covers, the voices in the other room reached her, now much softer.

"What do you think is wrong?"

"I don't know Hiniku. Even if it was because she was tired, that doesn't explain why she ran out of the stadium earlier."

"She did that?"

"Yeah, Saku. I have no idea what happened. We watching the match and all of the sudden she was running out of there like a bat out of Hell. I hope she'll be okay."

"It's Tenshi. She'll tell us when she's ready."

"Well, let's hope that's before she bites our heads off, Sakura."

"Hiniku…."

"Just sayin'."

Inside the dark bedroom, Tenshi clamped a pillow over her ears, dreading any more. "Why?" she asked her self. The answer eluded her. She had to figure it out soon, otherwise she might lose more people close to her, and this wouldn't be Death's fault. Turning over to evade the moonlight seeping through the curtains, Tenshi closed her eyes, seeking solace in her sleep.

**H E A R T**

**Well, there you have it. Not much to say here but thanks for the reviews and the feedback and the support. It's appreciated more than you might know. I'll be back hopefully next month with another chappie. By the way, the song in the chappie is "Those Nights" by Skillet, one of my favorite songs of all time. Sadly, I do not own it, Skillet does. Well, that's all for now. BEWII!**

**Mishi-chan**


	10. We're Going to the Beach!

**Never Stop My Heart**

**By Mishi-chan**

**A/N: I know you all probably wanna kill me for not updating in forever and I apologize for the wait. First, my work load killed me over, then I got back into RPGs (a lovely writing exercise, I may add). **

**Then I felt pretty discouraged for a while. Not only did I not get as many reviews last chappie, but I've been reading more novels and realizing just how much I could be and that I'm not. My own writing felt small and, although I've seen improvement throughout the chappies, I just don't feel they're my best. I will just say thanks now to Invisible Love and MuraSakura for harassing me, telling me that I'm not bad.**

**That left me in a slump in my writing and then I hit a major roadblock. I finally got over it and started working on it again and BAM! I was away from my computer for over a month because I was traveling to Terra Incognita. Then I just... couldn't write. My styles and interests have expanded from fanfiction and to original characters and other works. But I've broken through a part of the barrier that forbade me from this. So, for those of you who were waiting so patiently:**

**Thank-you.**

**I want to finish, if anything, just to be able to fulfill a long-term commitment. I don't know how long it will take me, but I hope to**** finish. I can't guarentee fast updates. But I'm gonna at least try to write. I don't like to leave things half-done.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own BeyBlade or any of its characters, but I own Tenshi, the Shinigamiz, and the OC Bit-Beasts. Invisible Love owns Hiniku and MuraSakura owns, well, Sakura. My MIA partner in crime owns Kaze.**

**I would make this dedication out to everyone who still follows my work, but I want to thank **_**Anonymous**_**. I got his/her review and it really encouraged me when I was down in a slump. It's nice to read not just praise, but what I'm doing right and what they enjoy. Thank-you.**

**Now, shall we finally get on with the very long-awaited chappie?**

**

* * *

  
**

"Woah!"

"Hey, look at that!"

"Can I get ice-cream, Mommy?"

The voices reverberated in the wide-open air. The seagulls cawed overhead, white against the bright blue sky. People, families, friends—they walked along the wooden way, breathing the salty air. "Salt. I hate salt," Tenshi grumbled with her chin on her risen palm.

"Well, we can't all be beach goers like myself," Hiniku reminded her in jest, taking her seat on the bench with a burger in hand.

"Of course. After all, no one's as awesome as you," Tenshi derided on the Korean's behalf. Her response: a blatant look of annoyance.

"Now, now, can't we just enjoy the day off?"

Sakura and Kaze's shadows blocked the Sun from their peripheral. Tenshi smirked. "It's not the day off I'm detesting," Tenshi reported. In fact, she was thankful more than words could describe. She needed the time to re-evaluate and figure out what was going. She needed a clear head and a game plan.

As they gobbled down a series of burgers and fries, passerby walked amongst them. The Winged Guardians continued along their merry way, their minds taking the attractions. To their left beheld the endless sea of fun and diversions. To their right was the endless ocean of sands and surf. Gulls pecked at the flattened French fries below the feet of the masses. Sand overturned onto the wooden road by racing children on the shore.

"So, what are doing fir—?"

"MIRROR MAZE!" Hiniku interrupted Sakura, excitedly tugging them towards the said diversion.

"I don't see what's so fun about running into mirrors," Tenshi remarked with a skeptical brow.

"Yeah! I do it every morning; there's nothing fun about it!"

Hiniku whirled to look at Tenshi and Kaze. "Do you WANT to go to the beach?"

"No."

"Not particularly."

"Then we're doing the maze," Hiniku deduced, cheerfully leading the way. Twin expressions groaned, following in her stead. They flashed their passes to the attendant and off they went. At first, a long open hall greeted them and it seemed rather simplistic. But that was when it got a little tricky…

"Ow!" Sakura whined, running face first into a mirror. Turning around, she faced a giggling Hiniku. "It's not that funny," she chided, following her friend.

"Oh come on! You know it—OW!"

The Korean's banter was cut off by her face ramming into a mirror. Sakura, pointing with mirth, laughed outlandishly. "You're right, Hiniku. It is funny!" she chortled, clapping a hand on her back.

"Shaddup!"

After another bout of mockery, Sakura glanced around, Hiniku's and her own face meeting her at every angle. "Hiniku?" she started, distractedly looking around her. "Where are Kaze and Tenshi?"

Hiniku grew still, her eyes whirling and her grin drooping. "Tenshi?" she called out, perking her ears to listen. A chuckled came overhead.

"I'm almost out; I can see the exit," Tenshi hollered back. Hiniku could hear the boast in her tone and could imagine the smirk on her face.

"Speak for yourself, Tenshi! I'm completely lost!" came Kaze's voice, lightly distressed.

"Tell us the way out, Tensh!" Sakura pleaded. Her sister's laugh reverberated across the mirrored corridors.

"As if. Hiniku wanted to do the maze; she can solve it herself."

Tenshi's voice disappeared, fading into the crowd outside. No other sound was made. Slowly turning, Hiniku found herself facing an irritated teammate. She smiled weakly under Sakura's glower.

"Crap."

**…**

"Gah!" Kaze groaned, hitting another mirror. Taking a step back, she narrowed her eyes at her reflection, her lips in a pout. One minute she was following Tenshi, assuming she was following the others. The next minute, Tenshi had slipped off and wound her way around the reflective halls. And at that minute, she was completely disoriented and had no idea of where to go.

"Darn my lack of directional skills," she grumbled, moving to walk a different way. She found a path, temporarily. Slowly she stepped through the labyrinth, glancing furtively around her for any sight of the others. That, however, was another mistake.

The mirror made a strange sound as her face collided with its reflection. With one more screech of exasperation and aggravation, Kaze turned and slid down to the floor. She rested her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. "Maybe if I yell loud enough, one of them will just come back and get me," she muttered, pondering upon the easiest solutions to get her out of there.

"Or maybe I could just help you out."

At the sound of the jovial voice, Kaze's eyes flipped open to see the familiar smile of friendly face. "Need a hand?" Max asked her, reaching down. She grinned back and took his hand, pulling up to her feet.

"That's exactly what I needed," she told him, releasing his hand. "But what are you doing in here?"

Max rubbed the back of his head, his explanation coming out as a laugh. "Well, today's the day off and—."

"Yo, Max! Where'd you go?" Michael yelled as he came bounding around the corner, Eddie at his heels. "There you are, man! Thought we lost you…." His voice trailed, finding who was with Max. Michael snickered. "Well, Eddie. It seems to me like little ol' Max ditched us for his girlfriend."

Eddie wore a similar expression of quip. "Why it does seem that way, Michael."

Max's face flushed, bringing out his freckles. "C'mon, you guys! Cut it out!" he demanded of them. This only encouraged them, their faces breaking into cachinnation. Kaze had to bite her lip to keep from joining them. The look on Max's face was amusing and rather cute. "Seriously, guys…."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll give you two some privacy. But we better not find you two making out later!" Michael snorted through his guffaws. Quickly they retreated before Max could get his hands on them. And thus they were soon out of sight, their snickering fading into the distance.

Ruffling his blonde hair with a hand, Max grumbled under his breath. His companion, on the other hand, was smiling easily. "Don't let them get to you, Max. That's what friends do, even if it does pluck your last nerve," she said, his gaze meeting hers.

The smile returned to his face. "Geez, Kaze. You have an answer for everything, don't you?" he half-joked. Fervently she waved it off.

"No! For example I have no answer to this maze!" suggested Kaze. To this, he laughed.

"And that's why I'm here," Max declared, striking a heroic pose. Kaze laughed.

She pointed down the corridor and grinned. "Onward!"

"Onward!" was his redundant reply, racing down the halls. With a surprised yelp, she followed hurriedly, trying not to lose him.

"Hold up a second!" Kaze demanded of him, catching up. Max's grinning face looked back at her.

Grabbing her hand with his, Max proceeded to run the course of the maze. "You're going too slow!" he told her, smiling. For the sake of getting out of the accursed place, she allowed herself to be pulled along, his hand warm in hers. Just when it seemed as though it would go on forever, an imperishable light shone ahead.

"I see the light! Go towards the light!" Kaze cheered, peering around Max's running form.

"Towards the light? Well, I haven't heard that one before!"

They passed through the gate and stumbled into the street. The sun glittered beyond and the people ambled up and down the walk. "Do you smell that, Max?"

"Salt?"

"No," Kaze shot down. "Freedom!" She stood there, arms out, eyes closed, and smiling as she basked in the sunlight. "Um, Max?" she queried for his gaze. "You can let go of my hand now."

Looking down at his hand locked onto hers, Max drew it back, flustered. He mumbled an apology and chuckled nervously. With an accepting word, Kaze turned her attention back to the gates and the floods of civilians. "I wonder where Tenshi went. She got out before us."

"Maybe she's on the other side. There's two exits to the maze," Max informed her with a gesture to the building. At that she groaned.

"Great. Two exits and I couldn't find my way out." Before her companion could respond, however, she added, "Oh well. I'll just give her a call…." Kaze's voice trailed as she pulled out her phone, her fingers flying over individual digits. She put it to her ear and waited. It rang. And rang. And rang. Tenshi's voice on a loud background picked up and Kaze hung up.

"Didn't she pick up?"

"Nah. It was her voicemail; Tenshi finds fun in tricking people into talking to her voicemail," she explained, pocketing her phone. "So, now what?"

Max twisted his lips in thought, searching and observing the diversions and the sights for something. At last, his cerulean orbs found the answer. Grinning from ear to ear, he suggested, "Ice cream?"

So, a baffled shrug and a couple dollars later, the two sat on a bench. Cones in hand, they sat in a comfortable silence. It was odd for Kaze; they had only met in a series of brief moments, yet it felt like she'd known him much longer. He was cheerful, kind and cute. Cute like a teddy bear. Her imagination fitted Max in a fuzzy bear suit, arms wide and yellow ribbon adorning his neck.

"What's so funny?" Max asked upon hearing her stifled laughter. A moment after, when she'd regained her composure, Kaze waved it off as nothing. The smile, however, could not be erased from her lips. Giving her a brief eye of confusion, then deciding it was better he didn't know, Max went back to his ice cream. While he was lapping it up happily, Kaze took her time with a savoring intent.

"Kaze, you have the answers to everything, so I have a scenario for you," he told her whilst averting his gaze to rest on the slapping waves.

"Go for it."

Breathing a velvet sigh, Max started. "Okay: so there's a guy who likes this girl. Problem is, he knows she likes someone else. What does he do?"

For a minute, Kaze sat in contemplative reflection. When a strand of her midnight hair caught in her eyes, she pulled out her braid, redoing it with her fingers as soft her tone. "Well, first it's not what he does, but what he should do. Second, life's too short to sit around and mope about it. If he wants something to happen, he needs to speak up and tell her. Everybody will get hurt striving for love, so let it out early before you get in too deep and you're just stuck."

Max couldn't help but notice how her tone grew stiffer, the scenario no longer about a hypothetical guy. "It happened to you?" Max assumed. Finished with her braid, Kaze tucked it behind her should and smiled.

"Nah. My parents. Divorced." She spoke with nonchalance. "It's the one lesson that my mom has repeatedly been teaching all of these years, intentionally or not." Kaze grinned. "Does that answer all of your questions?"

"Yes," was Max's response, turning back to his ice cream, beaming with a soft rose flush. "Yes it does."

**N E V E R**

"You're a real jerk sometimes, Hiniku," Tenshi stated matter-of-factly, the remaining three Winged Guardians strolling absentmindedly down the boardwalk.

"You're the one who refused to help us out of the maze."

"That doesn't give you the right to change the language on my cell phone!" Tenshi growled through gritted teeth, fingers skimming buttons over buttons in frustration. "You know I don't read Korean!"

Sakura and Hiniku snickered with twin grins of mischief. "Oh, I know! And when you're ready to be able to read it again, beg me for it," Hiniku said with a smug smirk. Tenshi rolled her eyes, exasperated.

"Keep dreaming, Hiniku." Dialing in a number, she shot a side-glance at her Korean friend. "Besides, I don't have to be able to read the commands in order to call somebody." Then she put a finger to her mouth—a gesture for silence. "Kaze? Hey, sorry I didn't pick up when you called; Hiniku was too busy fiddling with my phone for me to pick up. Anyways, where are you?" A pause followed, then a series of assurances and grunts. "All right, I'll see you later. Bye." With a click and a snap, the phone was pocketed and Tenshi faced Hiniku and Sakura. "She's with Max. They're going to meet up with us later," she reported.

"Awww!" they cooed. "Max and Kaze, sittin' in a tree—!"

"Oh shut-up!" Tenshi started forward again only to be halted by an oncoming group.

"Hey guys!"

"Rei!" Sakura greeted enthusiastically, stepping up next to her sister. Standing before them was the usual trio of White Tiger X: Rei, Lee and Mariah. The former two were greeting the group; Mariah was less than thrilled by their occurrence.

"So I hear the Winged Guardians made it to the semi-finals. Congratulations," Rei praised, taking up small talk.

Beaming, Sakura nodded. "Thank-you. But I'm surprised you all lost your match yesterday. It would've been cool to face you guys again," she said. A look of bewilderment crossed Tenshi's face.

"You guys lost yesterday?" Tenshi repeated.

Rei nodded. "Yeah, the Blitzkrieg Boys beat us."

"Kai's taking no prisoners this year. Went all out to beat Rei. He's really in it to win this time around," Lee added and Tenshi let an unbeknownst smirk light her features.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

Shrugging, Rei grinned, full of good nature. "It's okay, though. We had a good season and we'll just come back next year even better. No need to sweat it."

"Unlike you guys," Lee started again. "After all, you're either facing Kai, Tyson, or the cloaked freaks. No matter what happens, you girls are gonna have a tough time."

But before Sakura could flame up at him, Rei spoke once more, again drowning the fire. "No more blading today, guys. It's our day off." Averting his golden eyes to the girls, he asked, "We're about to hit some of the rides. Do you all want to come?"

Instead of answering immediately, Sakura looked at her remaining teammates. Her courtesy finally came to call as she awaited an answer from them. Tenshi nodded with a smirk. "Yes!" Sakura then replied. From the look of irritation from Mariah, the smirk on Hiniku's face grew wide. When she started forward, though, a hand gripped her shoulder and pulled her back.

"You go ahead, Sakura. We'll catch up later, right, Hiniku?" Tenshi prodded Hiniku with a glance of foreboding. She seemed to get the strong hint and nodded, giggling weakly.

"Then we'll see you later," Rei farewelled with a wave. The team moved past. Before they disappeared, Sakura staggered behind the group, mouthing multiple words of gratitude and expressing her joy with a leap and pump of her fist. Tenshi made a motion to shoo her away, and, with message received, she jogged back to the White Tiger crew. As soon as she was out of sight, Tenshi ambled the opposite way, Hiniku yapping at her side.

"What was that for, Tenshi? Huh?! Maybe I wanted to ride the rides! Did you think of that?!"

"Oh please, you and I both know you only wanted to go to stir up trouble," Tenshi responded offhandedly.

"Your point?"

"My point is to leave them be; Sakura causes enough trouble in her wake."

"Jerk."

"Like I haven't heard that one before."

**…**

"WOO!"

A laugh. A smile. Both remained as the ride came to a slow stop. Sakura stepped off the Scrambler, tipsy. "Rei, I demand you stop spinning around like that!" she laughed, stumbling. Two hands reached out and gripped her shoulders to steady her.

"I'm not spinning, you are, Sakura." When his stare met her own, gold met cocoa. His eyes—they laughed. His mouth curled to grin. By the time he drew back, Sakura was physically balanced, albeit mentally sent gyrating.

"You coming or what, dummy?" Lee's pompous tone sheared through her trance and brought her back. The team had moved beyond the exit and stared back at her, waiting. Whether they were patient or not depended on the person. Rei: patient. Lee: not so patient. Mariah: very impatient. A frown on her face and indignation in her being, Sakura scurried over and met Lee's sneer. "Yes, Lee, I am," she snarled. "And I am no a dummy. In fact, if anyone's a dummy, it's—!"

"Now, now. Can we please try not to fight today?" Rei stepped between them. With a look at Lee he said, "Lee: stop instigating her. And Sakura," he looked at her, "don't let him get to you." With a sigh and running his hand through his mane, he asked, "Can we please have a truce?"

Sakura had crossed her arms, but upon Rei's request, relaxed a smidgen. Lee grumbled, contorting his face in thought. The two eyes each other, warily, contemplatively, pensive. Breaking first, Sakura reached out a hand. "Truce?"

After another second of consideration, Lee accepted the hand and shook on it. "Truce," he affirmed. Allowing a grin to consume him, Rei made a motion forward.

"Good, now let's get going," he told them. Mariah moved first, sidling up to Rei's side and causing a frown from Sakura. Noticing Sakura's look, Lee rolled his eyes.

"Gosh, how long are you two going to keep this up?" he groaned, referring to the unspoken rivalry of the two females.

Sakura smirked. "Until I win." As those were her final words, the dark-skinned girl moved up to Rei's other side, immersing herself in the talk. Lee could not suppress the moan that lay in his throat.

Walking so that he would catch up to his friends and associate, he muttered, "This is going to be a long day…."

**S T O P**

"At last, I have been appeased."

"Took you long enough," Tenshi grumbled, nicking a bite of Hiniku's funnel cake. To this, the Korean backed away, acting like a man on death row with his last meal.

"My funnel cake!" she exclaimed, marching forward along the creaking wooden dock. Ignoring her friend, Tenshi took a moment and stopped to lean over the docks. Beyond the dock rose the waters, splashing and crashing against the posts that held up the dock. Sun twinkled across the whitewash waves and fish swam in its wake. Hiniku leaned over the banister next to her, munching away. "Ah! The ocean, the waves, the wind—would you hold me?" Hiniku sneered cheekily, cooing her words jokingly.

Tenshi pushed her friend away, her lips curled to grin. "Uh, no." She drew out her reply, adding emphasis. Hiniku laughed. "Gosh, you can't just give me one minute to enjoy the view in silence, can you?" Tenshi prodded.

With a scoff, Hiniku chided, "You hate the beach!"

"The beach, not the view," Tenshi explained, her eyes sparkling in mirth. The hustle and bustle grew louder behind her, voices growing louder, chanting. She paid no heed. Removing her eyes from the waters, Tenshi glanced at Hiniku. "Honestly, I really don't get why you love it so much."

The Korean groaned, fazed by Tenshi's ignorance. But when she opened her mouth to rebuke, a scream escaped instead. A foreign body slammed against her back. Hiniku flipped over the low railing. She clung to it with a hand, her feet dangling, her eyes watching as her funnel cake splashed into the murky waves.

"Hiniku!" Tenshi cried out in alarm, grabbing her hand. "Let go of the rail; I've got you!"

Wary instincts at work, she let go, now dangling above the water with all her trust in Tenshi's hand locked around hers. However, Tenshi was struggling. "My GOSH, Hiniku! You've got to lay-off the sweets from now!" declared she, groping for a good grip on Hiniku's hands while pulling her up. With strength and cooperation, Hiniku finally stood on the dock, footed on the edge adjacent to the ocean. "Now just climb back over, nice and easy," Tenshi instructed with a restless calm. But when Hiniku stepped on the rung of the rail, a-slip she went, falling back to Poseidon's hands. "HINIKU!" was Tenshi's distress, but it was muffled by the fright in Hiniku's scream. Their fingers brushed as Tenshi reached for her hand. Yet, it was another hand that surged past Tenshi to grip Hiniku's wrist. Surprise brushed the girls' faces, their eyes following the savior hand. "Tala?" Tenshi questioned in bemusement.

"Tala?! You know what? Whatever! Tenshi, stop gaping and help me up!!" Hiniku barked from below. Clicking her gaze away, Tenshi grabbed a hold of Hiniku's outstretched hand together with Tala, they pulled her back up and over. Hiniku collapsed into safety, albeit her mouth never stopped. "Took you two long enough! Geez! And Tala—where did you come from? It's like you appeared out of nowhere—!"

Tala glanced at Tenshi, eyes drawn. "Does she ever shut-up?"

"Nope. Sorry," she responded, kneeling at her friend's side. Hiniku frowned up at her companions, distraught.

"Hello? I'm right here!"

"As if we could forget."

"What was that, Tala?!"

Allowing them to continue bickering, Tenshi excused herself subtly, moving farther down the docks. That was where she found them. Ahead were two older males, punching and kicking away at each other with a furious animosity. Around them were their peanut-galleries, shouting the same fighting chants that Tenshi recognized from before. It only served to send the blood coursing through her to boil.

"Hey!" she shouted at her approach. Those on the outer rim heard and turned. "HEY!" Tenshi hollered louder, stepping between the two fighting guys and, at last, they stopped, glowering at her.

"What?" one growled, his hands itching to hurt.

"What?" she mocked, narrowing her eyes. "You're petty fight almost sent my friend swimming with the fish, that's what!"

His opposition rolled his eyes. "Well she should've been watching out—!"

"So it's our fault that you crack-heads decided to fight on a dock full of people? Get real!" Tenshi spat, the infuriation building to its rim. Apparently done talking, the second teen threw his fist at her. She sidestepped him, placing a kick to his back and sending his face to the dock.

"Smooth moves, man!" the first jeered as the other picked himself up.

"She called you a crack-head, too, you idiot."

Upon this startling realization, he slit his eyes towards Tenshi. A roar of anger—that was the beginning. He lunged at Tenshi, who stepped across to knee him in the gut. Wind flew from his lungs and she was given no choice to take more in, the second guy grabbing her arm. The pressure on her cut caused her to wince, but Tenshi made quick work. An elbow to his groin, a back-fist to his face—he backed off with blood dripping down his lip. Pedaling back, Tenshi reassessed the situation.

A circle of snide faces trapped her on three sides, her back to the ocean. The one with the bleeding lip was advancing at her left, the other from the right. "Crap," she muttered, dodging the kick the right only to be dealt a roundhouse kick at the left. She clutched her stomach as she keeled over, back to that low rail…

All it took was a consecutive follow-up to the kick, a backhanded slap, to force her over. When Tenshi reached for the rail, her hand was smacked away by one of the guys. The last thing she saw them scurrying away before she hit the darkening waters. Mouth agape, when her body gasped for air, salt water was received. It closed in all around her, stinging her eyes, irritating her cut. Desperately, she sought for surface, swimming up. A gasp—her lungs inflated. Waves rolled over her; Tenshi swam against the ebb and flow of the current, fighting to shore. A backwards glance at the docks showed the disappearance of Hiniku and Tala.

She was on her own.

Thankfully, soon her feet slipped on muddy sand, the shore only feet away. Out of the ocean, Tenshi tumbled onto the beach, coughing up the salt that had invaded her being. "And Hiniku wonders why I hate the beach." She coughed again, her hair dripping from her crown.

"Nice fall."

At the sound of his voice, Tenshi looked up, unsurprised by who it was. He always did show up at the oddest of times. "Hello to you, too, Kai." The said male took a seat on the sand and Tenshi flipped over to sit by him. "So, you saw my lovely swan dive, ne?" she queried, busying herself by fishing paraphernalia out of her pockets. Finding her spare hair band, Tenshi deftly twirled her long chocolate locks into a messy bun.

Kai nodded, his eyes set on her as she spoke. Grabbing a nearby abandoned towel, he offered it to Tenshi, who mumbled gratitude. "And what were you planning on doing? Beating them to a pulp? Running away?"

"No," she said. Proceeding to dry herself off, Tenshi continued, "I was just mad—those guys almost made Hiniku fall—!"

"So you decide to make them throw you over instead? That's some screwed up logic," Kai interjected, turning his head to face the falling sun. Dropping the towel at her side, Tenshi leaned back on her palms and gaze out as well, slipping out of her shoes so that the waves could lick her bare feet.

"Yeah, guess that is some screwed up logic." Her confession was on of jest and acknowledgement. "Well, I got a nice swim out of it. It's one way to train," Tenshi furthered with laughter. "So, what's a train-aholic like you doing at the beach on this fine day?"

From the corners of his eyes, Kai glanced at Tenshi pointedly. "The same could be asked of you."

"Fine. My teammates."

"Mr. Dickinson."

Smirking, Tenshi absentmindedly drew circles in the sand. "That sounds like Mr. Dickinson: enforcing his own rules, even if it is as small as a break. Smart guy; everybody needs a break sometimes." Tenshi was only subconsciously aware that her voice was slowly trailing, as were her eyes lowering to the grains of white.

Kai, however, was fully aware. With crimson irises, his own gaze shifted to her form. A requiem in her stare, Tenshi resembled that of a regretful elder, who of which conflict had aged her soul. And he could guess the conflict.

"Spartan?"

One word. One word and downcast brown flashed to meet his crimson corneas. Eyes are the windows to the soul—a reason Kai kept his own gaze so guarded. But in that moment, he could see into her. The vibrancy, the jest: it was gone, replaced with distress, pain, fury. A grim line set on her lips. "I didn't tell my team," she admitted, ashamed that an opponent knows her issues before her own friends. Then again, he had kind of placed himself so that he would know. "I don't want them to freak and do something stupid, like confront him."

"Secrets eat away at you until you have to let it go."

At Kai's words of wisdom, he heard the female snort and it aroused his attention more than the coming night sky. Her face was contorted to frame that familiar smirk, her eyes once again filled with fun. "Oh yeah, great words from Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Secretive," she prodded. Like that it was back again: the façade of a bright sun. Hidden beneath the sun's shining exterior, flames raged and flared, sometimes spilling out. Where she hid behind the sun, he hid behind the moon, a sole pillar of strength in the dark of night. Both hid behind the universe and only one of them was recognized as 'cold' and 'guarded'.

He smirked at the irony and Tenshi pinched her face at his expression. "Are you smiling?" she asked aloud, almost disbelieving.

At that, Kai gave her a deadpanned expression. "It's called a smirk. You should know what that is, Tenshi."

A breath caught in her throat, though her eyes remained playful. What stopped her breath? The dawning that it was the first time he had said her name. It sounded so strange to come from his lips, yet what terrified her more was how she liked it. How it seemed to flow so easily and smoothly from Kai.

Brushing away her awkward thoughts, Tenshi rose to her feet and dashed way the sand from her person. By this point, she was mostly dry and more comfortable. Slipping her damp sneakers back on, she reached a hand down to Kai, grinning. "Well, time to get a-going, no?"

The smirk still on his lips, Kai grasped her hand and pulled himself to his feet, towering over Tenshi. For a moment, he said nothing, just eyeing her—how the falling sun cast golden streams upon them, bringing out auburn flashes in her chestnut hair. Her lips—how they sparkled as bright as her grin. This was twice now; twice that he couldn't stop watching her and nothing gave him a clue as to why. She puzzled him.

Another puzzle he would figure out.

When Kai, after what seemed like hours, dropped her hand, Tenshi drew it back and clenched it at her side, as if she could maintain the warmth his grip gave her. Daring, she nudged him in the gut and then trotted backwards. "C'mon! Another race: I want a rematch!"

A challenge: another thing Kai wouldn't refuse, if not only for his pride. Kai picked up his feet and soared past her, his lips whispering to her, "You're gonna have to move faster than that." Challenge accepted. Determination lighting the fire that was her eyes, Tenshi sprinted across the white sands, soon side by side with him, leaving behind only their shadows and their footprints in the sand.

Out of the shadows of a beach umbrella, Spartan stepped, his eyes following them down the shore. The Devil working his sneer, Spartan's thoughts worked like clockwork and reached into his pocket for a cell phone. _He_ was going to be very fascinated by this turn of events. On the first ring, _he_ picked up. "Spartan?"

"It looks like Kai's got himself a new friend…."

**M Y**

"I told you! You have to go left at the mirror maze and right at the ice-cream stand, THEN you're back on the main strip!"

"Forgive me for not believing your inept directional skills."

"Was that SARCASM I heard, Tala?"

"And the short one catches on."

"Why I outta—!"

"What? Beat me to death with your tiny fists?"

Hiniku's shriek of aggravation could be heard for miles along the coast, and certainly to the passerby on the boardwalk. Mothers shied their children away from the Korean and groups migrated quickly past them. Except for the one group that knew them.

"Oh gosh," Sakura muttered, wary of her friend down the way. "She's at it again." From her side, Rei chuckled with amusement.

"She's not that bad," he told her with a playful nudge that would've brought a smile to her lips if she hadn't been frowning at Hiniku.

"You don't have to live with her." Turning her attention away, Sakura cupped one hand around her mouth, hollering, "OI! Hiniku: keep it down a bit, will ya?"

The said Korean, whirling at the call of her name, frowned at her approaching friends and her teammate. "Maybe I would if this thing would stop picking on me!" she reasoned, pointing an accusatory finger at Tala.

He scoffed. "I'm pointing out the truth, whether you want to hear it or not."

"Excuse you?!"

Whist the two continued bickering, Sakura rubbed her temple. "Would you two stop making a scene? Geez—you fight like an old married couple." Her words settling in, Hiniku and Tala stumbled out of their quarrel, Tala glaring darkly at the girl wordlessly. Hiniku, however, took another approach.

"WHAT?! That is absolutely ridiculous and not funny at all! I would never get married to this evil person, so don't even joke like that!" Like the Big Bad Wolf, she huffed and puffed until she was out of breath. The shrill tone warded pedestrians away from the bladers and Sakura wondered why he ears weren't bleeding.

Or were they?

Sighing, she was torn between just getting her friend to shut-up or teasing her some more. The latter won. "I don't hear Tala complaining about the reference."

Sparing no glance at him, Hiniku groaned, "That's because he's too busy trying to glare a hole through you." What disturbed Sakura more was uncertain, whether it be the dissension of Tala's cold eyes or that Hiniku knew his behavior like the back of her hand. "What?" her screech came again, questioning the perturbed stare her friend was giving her.

"Nothing. We'll chat later," Sakura dismissed, thought not before slipping a mischievous sneer. Paranoia scraped Hiniku's throat, but she shoved it away for the time being. Instead, she drifted to the foreign fuzzy thing in Sakura's arms.

"Uh, what's the teddy bear?"

A reminiscent grin drifted across her cocoa lips and a light brightened her gaze. Unconsciously, her arms gripped the striped bear tighter. "Rei won it for me since I was," she coughed, "completely useless and couldn't knock down a stupid tower of bottles."

Rei shot a friendly grin and passed a nudge at her. "You're not useless. The bottles were just weighted down."

"I still couldn't knock it down. Ya know what that does to my self-esteem?" she countered, dropping her hands to her shapely hips. The pout on her face made Rei chuckle and he ruffled her hair softly.

"C'mon, your self-esteem is just fine without knocking over a tower of weighted milk bottles."

Hiniku gagged, coughing about 'married couples' and regaining Sakura's attention, her split-second joy ruined. "Ha ha, Hiniku," she said, rolling her eyes, momentarily watching Mariah's irritation grow and grow. _'That's right: we're on even ground now, girl,'_ Sakura thought with satisfaction and it leaked in the form of a broad smile. Training again on Hiniku, she could see the sun begin to fall behind her, bathing them in an orange glow. "Well, my dear friend, I believe it is time for us to head back."

Jumping at the chance, Hiniku nodded vigorously, moving next to her friend to link arms. "Yes, I do believe so as well. We'll see you guys later!" she heralded to the White Tigers, tugging Sakura away with her. "And I hope I won't see you, Red!" she directed to Tala. Even in the increasing distance, she found delight in his displeasure at the name.

After maneuvering off of the boardwalk and back into the city, the they slowed their pace, walking leisurely. A moment of silence, then a realization. "Uh," Sakura started, uncertain, "where's Tenshi?"

Hiniku scrunched her face in thought for a second, then resumed with a calm expression. "After I almost fell into the really nasty ocean, she sorta-kinda wandered off. She's probably with Kaze and Max."

Resisting the urge to smack herself and Hiniku, Sakura whirled on her. "Probably? Do you not remember what happened the last time one of us was on their own? You just got off your crutches; did you forget already? And what do you mean you almost fell into the ocean?" she interrogated, questions flying out of her mouth. Much to her dismay, Hiniku dismissively waved them off.

"C'mon, Saku. It's Tenshi and she does this all the time. She's fine and will be back by tonight, guaranteed. And the falling thing… yeah, funny story about that one…."

"Yeah, but if she's not back by nightfall, we're going looking for her!" Sakura compromised, given the fact that her sister was prone to such behavior. With a curious eye and quirked brow, Sakura added, "So, what is this funny story?"

A hesitant laugh. "It's a long story."

"We've got time, 'Ku."

"Fine. Okay, so we were walking down the docks…."

**...**

"So, what did the Ranch say to the Refrigerator?"

"I dunno. What?"

"Close the door: I'm Dressing!"

Kaze chuckled with a groan attached. The two made another turn down the hall when she continued, "That's terrible. So _corny_." Max ruffled his hand through his hair, laughing with dimpling freckles.

"Hey, I just said I had a joke. I didn't say it was a good one," he defended himself, his cerulean eyes gazing back and forth between the hotel hallway and Kaze's laughing face. It was a sight he could get used to. But before he could tell another lame joke, Kaze stopped, checking the number on the door before looking back at him with a wistful grin. "Let me guess," Max speculated, "this is your stop?"

"Yep," she nodded, turning to face him while she fished her key out of her pocket. "Well, once again, thanks for helping me out of that cursed maze. I'd probably still be in there otherwise," Kaze acknowledge, cringing at the thought of being stuck that long with all of those mirrors. Definitely not her idea of a day off.

"It was no problem at all. I had a good time this afternoon. Trust me," Max looked around furtively, causing Kaze grin, "being with your teammates 24-7 can drive a person crazy after a while."

"And you know that from experience?"

"If I told you, I would have to kill you."

A weak groan. "Cheesy!" she declare. They laughed for a moment before falling silent, eyes meeting subtly before broke into grins. "Well, I'll talk to you soon," Kaze started, turning to unlock the door when Max stopped her, his hand light on her shoulder.

"Kaze?"

When she turned to face him again, her confusion was met with his tentativeness. Her expression distinctly asked her unspoken question and Max cleared his throat to answer. "Remember that scenario I cooked up earlier? When we were eating ice-cream?" Her slow nod gave him the encouragement to proceed. "What if I were to say that it was real?"

Things started to piece together in her mind's eye and Kaze was a little more hesitant in answering. "My advice would be the same…" she responded, thinking about where this could be going.

Max nodded, taking a deep breath and putting a self-assuring smile on his mouth. He took a step closer to Kaze, their faces closer than ever. Inside her chest, Kaze could feel her heart thudding like an anxiety attack. "Then I'm gonna take your advice." Roses colored his freckled cheeks and Max drew his cerulean stare to her own. "Kaze, I—I like you. A lot."

First she was confused. Then it all became clear. "Like," she repeated, "as in _like_-like?" The blonde boy nodded, confirming her train of thought. This was… unexpected, unusual—this didn't happen to her. So she said the first thing that came to her mind. "Um, thank-you?" As soon as she saw the crest-fallen look on his face, she knew she said the wrong thing. Her heart was exploding. Was she having an anxiety attack? Experience told her no, but the speeding _thud thud thud_ made no sense otherwise.

Right?

The memory of his joyful grin shined back at her and the staggered breath in her throat answered her. Not an anxiety attack. And it wasn't the same feeling she got when she saw Rei—now that she thought about it, that was more like the affection towards a little kitty-cat. No, this was deeper. Harder. A crush.

She was crushing on Max.

And she just caught on.

Blonde moment to the nth power, much?

"I mean, I l-like you, too!" she amended, her voice cracking into an awkward laugh. "This is just… well, I think I just caught up."

"Really?" Max cheerfully chirped, his eyes alight with hope and high-spirits. A weak grin spread across her face as she nodded and happiness rolled off Max in waves. "That's great! No, terrific! It's just, I thought for sure, with fighting with Sakura about Rei and all…" His sentence broke off and the next thing Kaze knew, his lips were against her cheek. Her face went aflame with red that was stark against her tan skin and she froze. It was brief, it was fleeting, but it sent a warm, whole-hearted message through her bloodstream. And it encompassed the ecstatic emotions that described the moment.

Click!

As Max's lips pulled away, both of them turned towards the sound and their eyes grew wide. Then again, Tenshi's face mirrored the same astonishment, the cell-phone almost slipping out of her stilled hand. "I—I, am I interrupting something…?" she sputtered, gesturing a finger between the two of them and just like they separated.

Max ruffled his hair bashfully, glancing between the floor and Kaze. "I'll just, uh, see you tomorrow…"

"Y-yeah…"

With a jovial wave, Max brushed past Tenshi and down the hall, disappearing into the All-Starz's suite. After the door had clicked to a firm shut, Tenshi turned her eyes back to Kaze, who resembled a sunburnt potato. "What was that? Just now, what was that?" she asked, bewildered as she moved towards her captain.

The girl in question laughed meekly. "Um, well, you see…"

"Scratch that," Tenshi interrupted with a wave of her hand. "This picture says it all."

That was when Kaze's eyes bulged and she practically jumped Tenshi for her cell-phone. "What?!" she gasped, her fishbowled eyes scanning the perfect photo of Max giving her the kiss. "Why'd you take a picture of that?"

"I was testing my camera, turned the corner, and BAM! It was there. The perfect accident."

"Why were you testing your camera? Honestly, that's gotta be the lamest excuse you've ever given me. Usually your more imaginative…"

Tenshi groaned, not looking forward to explaining her day to anyone. "Let's just say I took an unexpected swim at the beach today and I was making sure my phone still worked. Thankfully it seems to have dried out."

On that note, Kaze finally took in Tenshi's sea-faring appearance and understood. "Yeah, you look like a dog fresh out of a salt-bath."

"I'm not even going to ask how you know what that looks like."

"Don't."

With a roll of her eyes, Tenshi took the key out Kaze's hand, seeing as hers was not-so-useful anymore. Slipping it into the door, she cracked the door to be stopped by her friend. "Hey, Tenshi, you're not gonna show the others that picture, are you?" she queried.

A thoughtful look crossed her features as she contemplated the answer, her hand on the door-handle. "Have you been practicing like I asked?"

Kaze gulped. "…no?"

"Wrong answer," Tenshi chided. She swung open the door to greet her other teammates with a great big grin. "Oi, Saku, Hiniku! Guess I what I caught out in the hallway…"

Kaze was only one foot in the suite when she saw Tenshi show them the phone. "No!" she groaned. But it was too late.

And the squeals of those girls could be heard throughout the hotel floor and back in his suite, Max cringed.

Oh, he could only imagine…

**H E A R T**

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* * *

**

**Well, that's it for now. Once again, I apologize to all of you readers. It's been a pivotal point for me and I needed to resolve things in my own time. I'm just sorry you all had to withstand that time. XP**

**Also, I know I didn't put up a Christmas one-shot, as per usual, and that I left it off at a key point. Again, I'm sorry and that will be up next year. That one will definitely not be left undone. After all, so close to the end... **

**Merry Belated Christmas, Happy New Year's, Happy Holidays, and I hope to back... eventually. XP**

**Mishi-chan**


	11. When Bad Turns to Worse

**Never Stop My Heart**

**By Mishi-chan**

**A/N: Phew, been a long time, hasn't it? Three years? For that, I cannot express how sorry I am. There's been lots of changes in my life, good and bad, and a lot of things to do, a lot of reasons not to return to this. But I've come to the point where I can write again, where I can return. I'd come so far with this story, the rest already mapped out, and yet, it remained a regret unfinished. **

**So, this is not a joke, this is not a prank: I'm back, and I have the intention to finish. I don't know when, and I don't know how, but I will. For those of you who will actually still read this: thank you. I hope you enjoy it, and I can only hope I've matured in our time passed. **

**If you don't remember what has happened, it's understandable. Just re-read! I know the first couple chappies are troublesome to get through, but trust me: my writing improved exponentially. And if you do remember: well, continue onward! Happy reading the latest, and most long-awaited chapter. May the odds be ever in your favour.**

**Disclaimer: Clearly I do not own Beyblade, and all other disclaimers prior are applicable here: Tenshi and Shinigamiz belong to me, Kaze to my associate, and Hiniku and Sakura to Invisible Love to their respective writers therein.  
**

* * *

It was late the following evening when the teams arrived in China. The plane ride killer long, and bladers killer tired, some of them dragged themselves up to their team suites. Or, rather, the Winged Guardians dragged themselves up. The door to the girls' suite creaked open and the line of them creaked in. "So… tired…" Hiniku mumbled, slowly pulling her suitcase along. Shuffling alongside her, Sakura shot her a dirty look.

"At least you got to sleep! Kaze and I were forced awake by the engines every five minutes."

The aforementioned captain, however, said nothing, no complaint and no remark. Instead, she zombied on past and, hitting a doorframe, found her way into one of the bedrooms. Kaze flopped down face-first onto the mattress. She sunk into it and said not a word, lying there. Shaking her head with a grin, Tenshi clicked the door to a close behind them all.

"It doesn't matter if she got no sleep or slept the whole way over. Kaze would still want to sleep," Tenshi noted, speaking from memory. Her weary teammates nodded, recalling their captain's susceptibility to jet lag. And she'd been doing so well recently too…

Just as they moved to get settled in themselves, a quick rap on the door yielded them. Tenshi stepped to open the door when Sakura yawned, "It's probably just room service."

"Yeah," Hiniku concurred, slinking into the bedrooms. "Maybe if we're quiet they'll just go away…"

"We can hear you, ya know!" a voice declared from the hall, impatient.

Tenshi gave her teammates a haughty look, then continued to open the door with a begrudging tone. As the voice had betrayed, Tyson stood in the hall with a cheeky face. The surprise—though it shouldn't have been after the day before—was the youthful Max next to him, hand raised to knock again. "Hey, Max. 'Sup?" she greeted him, ignoring his wingman entirely. The catlike slope spread across his grin and Tenshi had no difficulty finding what her captain liked in him.

"The captains are meeting with Mr. D and we—" a cough came from next to Max, so he amended, "—I was wondering if Kaze had already left." It was quite obvious whose idea it was to drop by, but that was not what held Tenshi's concern. What concerned her was that Kaze was out cold.

Noting Tenshi's furtive glances to the back bedroom, Sakura came up next to her sister, curious. "What's going on?" she asked, glancing tiredly amongst the three. With an exasperated eye, Tenshi said, "There's a captains' meeting."

"But Kaze's sleeping like a rock."

"Exactly."

Max and Tyson exchanged surprise glances. Being veterans of the World Championships, they were accustomed to the constant travel. It obviously hadn't occurred to the BBA that anyone in the semi-finals wouldn't be. Then again, it probably hadn't occurred to anyone that a rookie team could make it to the semi-finals either.

"But a representative from the semi-finalists has to be there," Tyson reminded them. It was one thing if Max or Rei didn't go—their teams were already out of the tournaments. But every team still in it has to get the information from the meeting.

There was a contemplative silence and then a relenting sigh as Tenshi left the doorway, only to return a moment later with a card in her hand. "I'll go," she said, slipping the room key into her cargo pockets. "That way we don't have to wake up Kaze." Sakura nodded with an understanding look. Aside from Kaze, Tenshi was probably the only one of them could actually fluently understand 'beyblade-enese'. "I dunno when I'll be back, but I have a key, so you don't have to wait up to let me in if you wanna hit the sack too." Nodding, Sakura glanced in the room with a smirk.

"Looks like Hiniku's already out," Sakura grinned, finding the Korean sleeping on the couch, "so it probably won't be long before I go to bed too. No entertainment." She chuckled. Standing at the door, Sakura watched as Tenshi moved into the hall to accompany the guys. "I'll leave a light for you if I do."

"Thanks, Saku." Starting towards the elevator, Tenshi gave a salute. "Later," she bid and the door closed. "Onward then!" Tenshi declared, walking alongside the guys. Silence didn't last long, because immediately Tyson was on Max like a shark on raw steak.

"So when did you and Kaze hook up? And don't deny it, 'cause I can tell, pal!" Tyson demanded. He slung an arm around Max's shoulders, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Tenshi punched the button to summon the elevator, a smirk spreading her lips. "Just the other day," she answered for Max, who gave her a surprised look.

"Tenshi."

"Sealed the deal with a kiss and everything."

"Tenshi!"

"Max, you dog!" Tyson laughed, pounding a noogie into his blonde locks. Max struggled out of his friend's chokehold to get into the elevator. As he stumbled in, Tenshi and Tyson followed suit, taking up each side of him. "I never knew you had it in you, Maxie!" Tyson continued as the doors closed.

"It wasn't like that, Tyson," Max groaned, despairing in the torture.

"Then what _was _it like?"

Blushing commenced and Max's freckles disappeared amongst the red of the implications. "I am not answering that," he said, stepping out of the elevator as it dinged on the ground floor. Tyson trailed pouting, Tenshi taking up the rear.

"Why?" Tyson continued to pester. Then a strange look crossed his face. "Wait… did it get… _dirty_?"

Tenshi choked on her gum and Max whirled to face him, incredulous. "No!" they both answered, synchronized. Tenshi was too busy trying not to laugh and Max was trying to kept his face from changing colors.

Neither succeeded.

Entering the conference room, they were greeted by the faces of the remaining captains. Upon sight of Tenshi, eyebrows were quirked and quizzical expressions were donned. "Kaze's out like a light," she said, figuring that was all the explanation needed. It was enough to appease Rei and Kai. However, this caused a chuckle from the hooded figure in the corner.

"Still taking charge, I see," Spartan mused under his cloak. Tenshi's fist clenched, her eyes tightened. The others looked between them with curious eyes—except Kai's eyes weren't curious, but glaring. Glaring at Spartan, just like Tenshi.

"Still an imbecile, I see," she retorted, taking the seat farthest from him, Tyson and Max sitting to her side. Another dark chuckle. But before the spat could continue, Mr. Dickinson entered the room, ceasing all arguments. The elderly man looked slightly frazzled, but it was easily dismissed on tournament stress. The chairman also gave Tenshi the confused look, to which she promptly explained again. With a nod, he commenced the meeting.

"Well, I hope everyone's flight went well," he greeted. The majority of nodding heads assured Mr. Dickinson, so he continued. "Max, Rei: at this point both of your teams have been eliminated from the tournament. However, you are welcome to stay with us for the remainder of the tournament. Think of it as your vacation." The boys grinned at each other, then turned back to Mr. Dickinson and agreed to the terms. Satisfied, the chairman then shifted his attention to the remaining bladers. "As for the semi-finals, they will begin within a few days time. So by then all of your teams should be well rested and prepared for the semis." He pulled a bracket from his briefcase and combed it again.

"As for the match-ups, it will certainly be a tough semi-final for all." His gaze lifted to rest on each of the remaining captains. "The BBA Revolution will face off first against the Blitzkrieg Boys," he paused. Tyson's face lit up—and why not? He was going to be facing off against Kai. Always a tough match-up, but one of the best. Kai, however, was not particularly focused on this thought. Because he knew what the other match-up would be—and it was not a good one.

Tenshi's face stoned, her voice monotonous. "And the Winged Guardians will be facing the Shinigamiz," she concluded. Suddenly things didn't seem so bright anymore. If they had been playing the BBA Revolution, they could pull off another win. If they had been playing the Blitzkrieg Boys, it'd be tough, but they might be able to pull it off. If the Winged Guardians were playing anyone else, the match-up would fire them up and they could pull through.

But no. They were facing the Shinigamiz. As if it weren't bad enough that Spartan had risen from the grave, but she hardly knew a thing about this team. No one really knew what went on inside that veil of darkness…

It almost didn't matter how much time they were given to prepare, the Winged Guardians would be going into that much cold.

Tenshi grit her teeth. All the confidence couldn't block out the reasoning. Terrific. Just terrific. "Is that all, Mr. Dickinson?" she asked, her voice tight. Sensing the tension in the room, the man nodded and wished them well before leaving. Standing she got a few pats on the back, a comment from Tyson about how 'somebody had to face them' and how she'd 'drawn the short straw'. Under normal circumstances, she probably would've decked him. But she wasn't quite in her normal mood at that moment. So she blustered out of the room. She didn't get far.

"Aren't the match-ups so exciting?"

Tenshi turned to the voice, agitated to see Spartan smirking after her. "Depends on your definition of 'exciting'," she spit, her irritation showing. His curled hair sprouted like short horns on his head, in her opinion. Noting her gaze on his hair, Spartan tugged at it softly.

"It holds up the halo," he joked, and for one second, Tenshi saw a glimpse of her best friend. But that was gone when his sneer crept across his lips. "But you probably think that halo's long gone, don't you?"

Tenshi bristled. "Yeah, too far gone, Spartan._ Dead_ and gone."

"Oh, that hurts. Truly, it does," he chided. "Oh well. You'll be the one hurting soon. I'll just wait for the match for my compensation."

That was it. Tenshi pulled back a fist, intending to smash that sneer from his lips. Unfortunately—or maybe even fortunately—it never made it. A firm hand gripped her wrist, immobilizing it. Angry eyes flashed to the culprit, only to have Kai's eyes meet them. "Chill out, Tenshi," he muttered to her, pulling the fist to rest at her side. "Punching him won't help anything."

"It'll make me feel better."

"But it won't change facts."

With another angry glance at Spartan, and an irritated look at Kai, Tenshi took a deep breath, released, and relaxed—enough to appease Kai anyway. Assured that she wouldn't do anything rash, Kai let go of her wrist and turned his crimson irises to Spartan.

"Well, well. What do we have here? Tenshi, I never thought you'd be one to 'play the field'. He's not quite your type, but—"

"Shut-up, Spartan," Kai interjected, edging his body in front of Tenshi's and effectively cutting her off from attempting assault. Spartan quirked a brow, curious now.

"And you know who I am? What else has she told you about me?"

"Enough."

Spartan chuckled low, amused. It was enough to serve a spark in Tenshi's angry eyes to flash to him instead of continuing to glare holes into Kai's back. "Spartan, get out of here. You should know by now how limited my self-restraint is," she warned, habitually clenching and unclenching her hands. Between her words and Kai's gaze, the message was undeniably received loud and clear. Smirking, he began to back away slowly.

"Wait till the dish. Then we'll see who's got the self-restraint." A flick of his hood, a twist of his heel—he was gone. The hall was then empty, the other bladers already having retreated to their suites. It took a minute for Tenshi to breathe calmly. It took a minute for Kai to be sure Spartan wasn't coming back.

"You cooled down now?" he asked Tenshi, half-turning to look her over with a crimson iris. Through pursed lips, she nodded, albeit still stiff. Her eyes were trained ahead still, as if daring Spartan to reappear in front of them. "Yes, because you look cooled down right now."

Tenshi's chocolate eyes flicked up to meet Kai's gaze, and he could see the pooling of emotions there inlaid. Which is what gave her away when she continued to insist, "I'm fine."

"If you're going to lie, you have to do it better than that."

The two pairs of eyes remained in a gridlock with each other, as if each one was searching for the answers to this predicament. It was frustrating to realize neither had the answers the other sought. Their gazes broke. "I should probably go back up to my team, break them the bad news about our match-up," Tenshi finally spoke aloud, her voice tinged with bitter resignation.

Kai was not an optimist on any standard, and especially in this situation. The two bladers that knew the most about the Shinigamiz were standing alone in that hallway, and neither of them knew very much. To say that the girls' team had a shot at finals still was akin to telling them that Tyson wasn't hungry—possible, but highly improbable. "Good luck," he managed to say, and somehow, Kai realized he meant it. A corner of Tenshi's lips lifted briefly before a resounding, deep sigh gave out from her throat. With frustration in her gait, conflict in her heart, the pale female walked away, striding towards the elevator. His eyes followed after her, a frown on his painted cheeks.

Suspicions gathering the best of him, instead of heading towards the elevators to go up, Kai went the opposite direction. The direction Spartan had gone. He rounded the corner of the hall, headed towards the training room when he heard it. A voice.

"We're to play the Winged Guardians for the semi-finals."

Kai could distinctly make out that it was Spartan's voice. Peering around the next corner, crimson eyes settled on the cloaked male. He was leaning against the wall, a cellular device pressed against his ear, though admittedly it was difficult to make him out in the darkness. Kai's eyes narrowed and his ears strained, striving to hear the rest of the male's words.

"Yes, sir… No, they will not be a problem. They have nothing that would stand between us and the finals. However…" Spartan paused, as if debating something. It seemed as though his thoughts got the better of him, for he continued, "Kai still seems to be attached to one of its members, Tala perhaps as well."

This caught the Russian blader's attention. Kai's eyes narrowed at the vague form on the phone, wondering whom he could possibly be talking to that would inquire behind the scenes about the Blitzkrieg Boys. Thankfully—or perhaps not—he did not have to wait long to find out.

"I will continue to keep an eye on the issue. If I find out any more, I will report it when we visit BioVolt tomorrow for our pre-match inspection, Boris."

One sentence and Kai's blood had multiple reasons to run cold. BioVolt. Boris. Two familiar terms that he'd hoped never to hear again. And yet, there they were in the same sentence spoken by most likely the darkest team to ever play in the BBA Championships. And while some of his questions were certainly answered with the revelation of the association, it only caused more questions. But for the time being, Kai had heard enough. Swiftly moving back the way he'd come, he jogged to the elevators.

If Tenshi thought playing the Shinigamiz had been bad news before, Kai knew this information was only going to make their bad situation worse.

**N E V E R**

"WHY didn't anyone wake me up?"

Seated on the lounge couch, Sakura rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time in the past few minutes. "Because when you're out cold, you're out cold."

Kaze whirled frantically to Sakura, anxiety riddled in her tired, bloodshot eyes. "But it was a mandatory meeting! We're in the semi-finals!" she proclaimed. Turning away from the darker teen, Kaze continued to pace back and forth; Sakura was sure that she was going to pace her way through the floor, or at the very minimum the carpet.

"Kaze," Sakura tried again, attempting to push away the throb in her head that their captain was causing her, "it's okay. Tenshi—" It was then, however, that the suite's door clicked open, through which said teammate ambled in, weary. Sakura was grateful for the distraction, though she did frown at the sight of Tenshi's state: a mix of agitation, apprehension, and abrogation. "Hey, onee-chan, what happened to you?" she questioned her pale sister.

Before Tenshi could muster up a respectable reply, Kaze's delirious gaze fell upon her. "Tenshi! I'm so sorry! I fell asleep, and I forgot about the captains' meeting! So I don't know—"

"Kaze, calm down," she reassured her friend first, resting her hands firmly on the captain's shoulders. "It's all taken care of. I went to the meeting, so we're fine to compete. So breathe."

At such news, Kaze nearly collapsed in relief. "Oh good," she sighed, suddenly lagging again now that the anxious adrenaline seemed to have evaporated from her pores. Glancing at Sakura, she went on, "Saku, why didn't you just tell me that?" To this statement, Sakura felt torn between smacking herself in the forehead or smacking Kaze over the head with the nearest household item she could find. She settled for a tired glare, the day's travel grating on her as well by that moment.

"I was going to, if you had shut-up long enough for me to explain!"

"Rawr. Cat fight…"

The three teammates looked up to see a stumbling Hiniku comment from the doorway of one of the rooms, the sleep so clear in her eyes. The Korean yawned. "You guys are so loud," she chastised, "it woke me up." Despite the irony of that statement, no one commented as Hiniku shuffled her way over to the couch, curling up next to Sakura. Unlike her normal persona bubbling with loud decibels and an equally loud personality, Hiniku asleep or half-asleep was a kitten in comparison. Henceforth, no one wanted to force the kitten to awaken into a tiger, not when it was obvious everyone was exhausted.

"Well, we're all awake now," Sakura yawned, using a finger to massage the headache in her temple. "So Tensh, you might as well tell us what happened at the meeting."

"Yeah, what did Mr. Dickinson have to say?"

Kaze sat on the arm of the couch, albeit she missed it the first attempt to seat herself and nearly fell to the floor. Tenshi looked at the tired faces that gazed back at her, trying her utmost best not to let the evening's events show on her face. What had Kai said? If she was going to lie, she had to do better than she already was trying. And looking at the exhausted state of her team, Tenshi knew this was not the time to break the news to them.

"Nothing much," she managed with a shrug. "Congratulated us on making it this far and told us we have a couple days until the semis actually start. He wants us all well-rested for this stage of the Championships." Tenshi's chocolate eyes scanned each of their faces, allowing a smirk to take over her lips naturally. "And from one look at you guys, you need the time to rest. You look like the walking dead."

Sakura scoffed. "Who said we're walking?" she joked with a yawn. And yet, the truth of the statement was apparent. Hiniku was practically falling back to sleep, her head nestled on Sakura's shoulder. Kaze was using what little equilibrium she had to try not and doze her way off of the arm of the couch.

"Touché," Tenshi conceded with a small sigh and tilt of her lips. "So, everyone can go to bed and not set their alarms. Nowhere to be in the morning, so take this as a chance to rest."

"No strings attached?" Hiniku yawned, awake enough to be wary. "You're not going to make us train as soon as we get up?"

'_I'm not sure how much good training is going to do us against the Shinigamiz,'_ Tenshi thought, but that's where it stayed. In her head. Via her mouth, she agreed, "I promise, no strings attached this time. So everyone, hit the sack for the night." Most of her teammates needed no persuasion. Hiniku and Kaze certainly did not. Granted, Kaze certainly hit something an estimated three times just on the way to bed, the doorframe included. Twice. And Hiniku was even so tired she could barely manage a snicker and pointing a finger at the captain.

It was, Sakura, however, that showed a little resistance. At first, the cocoa-skinned female just locked eyes on her sister, unsure of how to proceed, but her mind working slow enough that she could not think of how anyway. And she did not move until Tenshi walked into their room of the suite; then Sakura followed. "Are you sure that's all? You seem a little off," she noted, eyeing Tenshi.

She waved Sakura off. "Hey, I'm allowed to be tired too, right? It's just one of those nights for everybody," Tenshi assured her, slipping on some flannels and a tank from her suitcase. While she still seemed to hold some suspicions, Sakura decided to drop it, for the aching in her head was growing to be too much.

Climbing into her own bed, already in her pajamas, Sakura glanced one last time at Tenshi, long and lingering. "Just make sure you get to sleep soon, all right?" And with that parting advice, she switched off her bedside lamp, cloaking the room in the night's accompanying darkness. Knowing that as tired as she was, no sleep would come to her yet, Tenshi didn't even entertain the thought of curling up in bed. Instead, she slid the glass door of their hotel to the balcony. Unlike Russia, where all was snowy and quiet, Beijing had a festive nightlife. People still bustled about below. Street vendors littered the walkways. And amongst all that, there even seemed to be some kind of decorating going on, lanterns being strewn up and about.

Walking over to the railing, she pushed herself away from it, head bowed as if to catch her breath, rocking back and forth on her heels. The air was littered with sounds from below, nowhere near as peaceful as Russia either. Still, the air wasn't terrible, and better than sitting inside the hotel room, to Tenshi. Pulling herself up, she looked at the sky, biting her lip with a frown. "What do from here?" she asked herself softly.

"You can start by being more conscious of your surroundings."

At the sound of the gruff, masculine voice, Tenshi nearly jumped out of her skin. It was not because it was unfamiliar that it was startling, but rather because for once she seemed so acutely unaware. After taking a deep breath and gathering her wits about her, she sent a minute glare over at the neighboring balcony.

"Was that really necessary, Kai?" she questioned, taking peculiar notice of the smirk that seemed to actually grace his mouth. Kai's crimson eyes peered back at her from his perch on the railing of the nearest balcony. Relaxed in position, he was seated on the rail with one leg up to rest his arm on and the other floating above the ground to support him. Tenshi shook her head of the sudden distraction before gathering her wits about her, standing upright and fixing her gaze on the fellow blader. "Am I interrupting your solitude again?" she queried, though the tips of her mouth curved, as if it were almost a joke. After all, this would not be the first time they had found themselves in this scenario.

"No," he denied. Kai's smirk didn't linger much longer and Tenshi's face grew somber in response. "I figured you'd come out here again. We need to talk," he clarified.

At first, she could not fathom as to why Kai Hiwatari would intentionally seek her out at this hour. However, that was only the sleep slowing her thought, since it was only a second later that she remembered what seemed to align them. Beginning to pace away, Tenshi could not suppress a resigned sigh, tinged with irritation. "I've already told you all I know about the Shinigamiz. I have nothing else to spill."

"But I do."

She stopped. She turned to face him slowly. Their gazes met and if Tenshi had ever seen something as serious as a heart attack, it was the look on his face. "You know something…?" slowly she asked, tilting her head in curiosity. When Kai nodded back, Tenshi allowed herself a little bit of hope for her team. If it was important enough for the competition to tell her, then she would by all means listen. "Okay, I'm all ears," she decided, ambling to the railing closest to where Kai sat. She leaned on it, her eyes beseeching his across the foot of distance between. "What do you know?"

Kai's jaw tightened subtly, and there seemed to be a tightening in his muscles. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he questioned himself just why he was divulging this information at all. Nonetheless, enough of him warranted that it was information that should be shared.

"I know who they're working for," he said. Tenshi's expression did not show any inflection, though she did nod, encouraging him to continue. Kai suppressed the sigh of aggravation that threatened to arise deep in his throat in response to the whole situation. "The Shinigamiz are under Boris Valkov and BioVolt."

A pause. A long one. His words seemed to have to sink in one by one for Tenshi. "Wait…" she broke the silence, holding up a halting hand. Her eyes furrowed at first in thought. Then they chocolate irises slowly began to widen. "You mean Boris Valkov as in _the_ Boris Valkov? The one from the BBA Championship scandal three years ago that resulted in multiple stolen bit-beasts? The one from BEGA takeover last year that nearly demolished the BBA as we know it?"

What little hope Tenshi had about Kai's information fell with the stiff nod of his head. Boris. Boris Valkov. One of the most infamous and ruthless men to ever step foot in the beyblading world. "And he's the one running the strings behind the Shinigamiz?" she asked, trying to verify she was putting all of this together correctly. To her utter dismay, she was, if Kai's continual nod was any indication. Tenshi raised a hand to her forehead and tried to breathe out her irritation in long, steady exhales. It was not successful. "How the heck did he even manage that? And under BioVolt? I thought BioVolt—"

"—had disbanded? The BBA thought so too. Everyone has for the past three years," Kai cut her off, an undercurrent of virulence in his tone, making it even sharper. As if BioVolt had not done enough damage to him, to Tala, and to the other bladers of Russia, it seemed to have been continuing all this time. This was a line of thought that he did not like—one he detested. His clenched fists tightened with untold anger.

Tenshi let out a long, acrimonious growl and pushed herself back from the railing, pacing back and forth slowly. An anxious hand ran to her icy bangs and through her long, released locks. Biting her lip, she stopped and turned to face Kai again with piercing eyes. "You're sure about this? How did you find out?"

He met her gaze straight on, crimson clashing against brown. "I overheard Spartan talking on the phone to Boris," Kai relayed. And at Tenshi's questioning expression, he further qualified, "I followed him after you left to go back up here." The irritation held at the situation subsided for a moment to show an expression of surprise on Tenshi's face. But it was only for that moment. Tenshi had worse predicaments than wondering why Kai had been stalking after their opponent. Like how this information only made the situation much worse than it already was.

"So you mean to tell me that one of the most criminal masterminds in beyblading is now backing a demonic team led by my ex-best friend with probably some sort of takeover plan in mind? Oh, and that my team is facing them in just a few days time?" Her hands slammed onto the balcony railing, clutching it with tremendous emotion. Eyes that beseeched his, Tenshi looked at him with a mixture of emotions. Anger. Confusion. Perhaps even fear. "How am I supposed to tell my team that? How do I prepare them for the worst case scenario when I don't even know the endgame myself?"

Kai gazed at the fevered girl female before him, taking in the subtle clench of her jaw and the paling color of her knuckles. Sure, there was a swelling of anger in her, but another fire as well: concern. "Your team doesn't know about any of this." It was not a question. It was a statement, and one that Kai was picking up to be true. Tenshi released a huff of acrimony.

"Why tell them when it'll only make them worry unnecessarily about something they can't do anything about?"

If the original BladeBreakers were back together, Kai was certain they would say something along the lines of sharing the burden, being a team, or other nonsense. But he would not say those things; he was the last person to preach that sermon. Instead, Kai held his silence and just observed. It seemed as if Tenshi's body had had enough, slacking. As her head fell in thought to her palm, brown hair curtained her face, icy bangs hiding the turmoil in her gaze. There was something particularly vulnerable about the state of mind she appeared to be in, and yet, Kai could still find the traces of tension in her grip, her arms. Even in a moment like this, the member of the rookie team was fighting to keep it all together.

Perhaps that had something to do with his next action. Or at least he would tell himself that later. Swinging his leg over the rail, so that he was facing her balcony, Kai looked down at her buried face. And then he closed the distance.

Tenshi felt a hand fall onto her stiff shoulder, clasping it with certain strength. Perplexed, she lifted her face, only to find Kai's eyes piercing her own. "Stop worrying," he ordered, rather than advised. "We're going to stop this."

The words hung there in the Beijing night, bridging the foot between their balconies. Their stares remained locked, as if the meaning behind those words were carried between. "We?" she repeated.

"I'm not letting BioVolt or Boris get another grip-hold in the BBA. And you know the bladers they're using. And on top of all else, right now only you and I know what's going on."

Somewhere in her mind, Tenshi wondered still why he was including her at all. Somewhere in his mind, Kai was trying to figure out why he was reaching out to her. And elsewhere in both of their minds, the reality of their unlikely alliance clicked. A smirk snaked its way across both of their lips, sealing the deal of their secret. Kai removed his hand from her shoulder and Tenshi stood upright. Closing her eyes and breaking their stare, she ran a hand through her bangs again, resting it on the top of her head.

"So, if you find out anything else—"

"I'll let you know," Kai said, though he debated the timeliness of the relayed information. "And if you remember anything that could be helpful—"

"I'll let you know," Tenshi mimicked. Noting the slight twitch to his mouth, she chuckled. "What? Don't like being interrupting? Can't take what you dish out?" His noncommittal grunt was her reply and Tenshi rolled her eyes good-naturedly. But then she gave one last, drained groan before looking at him one last time. "Well, this is where I have to crash so I can actually be of use in the coming days. So… thanks. For everything." Without expecting a reply, she stretched her arms up and out as she started to walk back to the door. "G'night, Kai," she called back quietly.

And with two slides of the door, Tenshi was gone. But Kai continued to train his eyes on the doorframe, a million thoughts running through his reclusive mind. Even though he had no conclusions to those thoughts, the corner of his lips curved up with a small chuckle. "You're welcome."

**S T O P**

"I. LOVE. BEIJING!"

"You just like the food, Hiniku."

"Which is a perfectly good excuse to love the city!"

Sakura rolled her eyes, but just let the conversation be. Leaning over to Kaze, she whispered, "What happened to the half-dead, comatose zombie she was last night?"

"She got better."

"I can hear you!" Hiniku shrieked, chomping down on the kabob in her grasp.

Sakura eyed her food warily, gaze flickering from it and back to Hiniku. "Do you even know what that is?" she asked their Korean teammate. To her dismay, Hiniku shook her head vigorously, but happily.

"Nope! But I know it's delicious!"

Rolling her eyes, Tenshi cut between the two of them. "Okay, guys, enough already," she finally spoke up, probably one of the few times since they'd left the hotel. The afternoon sun beat down on them, and coupled with the thick air from humidity and the bustle of people, it was enough to make her grateful she'd pulled her hair back. Having woken up to the bickering of her teammates that morning as to how they would spend their day in Beijing, Tenshi had not exactly been in a mood to care about her appearance, especially when she had bigger problems to deal with.

Like how to deal with a team organized by a beyblading tyrant and headed up by her previously-believed-to-be-dead best friend.

"Tenshi's right! Let's just enjoy the day," Kaze piped in with a grin. "It's not every day you get to go to the annual Dragon Boat Festival, and in Beijing!" It was this yearly, grand festival that explained the explosion of population in the streets. Everywhere the eye could see was a mass of people, decorations, food, and expositions. Tenshi noted this may have been what was being prepared in the streets the night before.

Street vendors were scattered about the street, and voices were high and boisterous, but the atmosphere was vibrant and colorful. Watching as Hiniku skipped merrily ahead from vendor to vendor and Kaze explaining each food, Tenshi felt a pair of scrupulous eyes on her. "Yes, Sakura?" she acknowledge, tilting her head towards her dark sister. A tight lip remained on her face, eyes zoning in on Tenshi's.

"Are you sure there's nothing you want to tell the rest of us? You seem… off since last night," Sakura pressed, as if certain Tenshi was holding something back. Which indeed was the truth, but the blader was not about to reveal that.

"Sakura," Tenshi said with a roll of her eyes, "for the umpteenth time, I am fine and nothing is going on. You probably just think I'm off because I'm tired still."

"You don't get tired."

"Well now I do."

Sakura's face puffed with aggravation and gave her sister a pointed look. "Well, fine. If you don't want to tell me, don't. But don't lie to me about it. Gosh, just as you were finally opening up again after all these years…" Her voice trailed off. With a perk of her ears, even amongst the noise there was a sound she could never mistake. Attention diverted, Sakura looked away and ahead. Granted, she found Hiniku and Kaze with ease. But it was their company that had attracted her.

"Hey, Rei!" she called out, a smile spreading across her lips as she waved at him. She received an enthusiastic wave in return and a puckered glare from the female clad in pink beside him. Turning to Tenshi once more, Sakura warned, "We'll talk about this later." Then the rookie ambled over towards her friends, beginning an animated conversation with the Chinese blader of her affections. Tenshi could not help but chuckle a little. Truly, her sister knew her like no one else. But at least Tenshi could count on her mild attention deficit to keep her off her back, for now.

She walked up behind her team, trying to engage in the current talk between Sakura, Rei, Hiniku, and Kaze—it couldn't be said that Mariah was really participating, unless counting her impatient mannerisms. "Hey, Rei, Mariah," she greeted with a smile. The least she could do, unlike her sister, was be cordial to all parties. "What are you guys up to?"

"Well—"

"I asked Rei and Mariah, not you, Hiniku," she interjected, stopping their mischievous teammate from speaking. Rei laughed. However, Mariah finally took the liberty of answering, clasping her arm around Rei's.

"We're on a date," she proclaimed, a smile on her face, but a possessive edge in her golden eyes. Rei shook his head with a grin, brushing her off of his arm lightly; Mariah did not seem very fond of that action.

"More like we're just walking around the festival and lost our teammates," he clarified with a laugh. Sakura had a sinking suspicion that Mariah had somehow been the cause of them losing the rest of their team, but she kept quiet about that one.

"If you'd like, we can help you find them," Hiniku offered with a sneaky smirk, throwing a wink over to Sakura, who slipped her a thumbs-up in return. However, Rei shook his head good-naturedly, brushing it off with a wave of his hand.

"Nah, you guys don't have do that," he dismissed, "We'll find them eventually. But say, why don't you guys come along anyway? I'm sure we could show you around the festival. You guys have never been, right?"

Kaze nodded an affirmation but vocally abstained, "Thanks, but no thanks. We've got plans," she lied with a smile. Picking up on Kaze's idea, Tenshi wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders, grinning at the Chinese blader.

"But I think Sakura's free. You can take her off our hands," she encouraged.

"Yeah! Why don't you take Sakura with you guys? Yeah? Yeah?" Hiniku piped up, slinking up to Sakura's other side and ignoring the tight smile on her face.

"Laying it a little thick, guys…" she mumbled through gritted teeth, but nonetheless kept her smile and expression focused on Rei. An embarrassed blush did start creeping across her cocoa cheeks though. Despite the obviousness of the situation, Rei continued to chuckle and looked at Sakura earnestly.

"Okay, then. Sakura, would you like to come?" he asked, looking only at her. Which meant he did not see the reddening of Mariah's angry cheeks, but that was only a minor detail to them anyway.

"Sure, I'd love to!" Sakura agreed happily. Looking to her teammates, she said, "I'll just call you guys later and see where you're at, okay?" The three friends hummed a 'yes', and, after the group exchanged their farewells, Sakura trotted alongside Rei happily away, while Mariah sent her and the rest of the team dirty looks. After the love triangle disappeared into the crowd, Hiniku turned to Kaze and Tenshi with devilry in her eyes.

"Okay, so excellent lie, Kaze. Now, what's our next course of action? Do we follow them?" Hiniku plotted with much glee, and Tenshi could almost see her as a maniacal cartoon character.

"No," Tenshi interjected with a look, "we stay out of it and do our own thing. The last thing that dysfunctional mess needs is your interference."

"Besides, what I said wasn't a complete lie…"

At that, Hiniku and Tenshi both turned to stare at Kaze. Their heads tilted to the side in unified confusion. "Huh?" they chorused, quirking their brows.

"Do we actually have plans?" Hiniku questioned.

"Are we training today?" Tenshi asked with piqued interest. "Because I'm perfectly comfortable with that."

"NO! PLEASE NO, KAZE!"

Kaze held up a hand, ceasing Hiniku's pleading and Tenshi's queries. "Neither," she said. The confusion only increased, and it showed blatantly on their faces. The team captain scratched the back of her head a bit nervously, as if reluctant to speak. "Only I have plans," she corrected them, and small feline grin lit her face, "I'm meeting up with Max here…"

Tenshi's reaction: "Sounds great! You guys have fun… but not too much fun." Smirk.

Hiniku's reaction: "WHAT? You're ditching us? AGAIN?" Shock.

As their shortest member wailed, Tenshi rolled her eyes and ruffled Hiniku's hair. "Oh please. We already knew they have a little something-something going on—"

"Hey!"

"—but just let the girl be," Tenshi finished, ignoring their captain's interjection. Leaning on Hiniku's shoulder, she peered at her friend expectantly. Hiniku kept the stare for a moment, than crossed her arms with a resigning huff.

"Fine, fine. Go have fun with your American boy!" Hiniku abdicated, using one hand lightly to shoo away Kaze. Shaking her head and eyes towards the heavens, Tenshi sighed.

"I think that's about as good as you're going to get, Kaze," Tenshi said, and was affirmed by Hiniku's nodding head. Grinning, she turned Kaze around and started to push her through the throng. "Go, have fun. We'll see you later." With a thankful and perhaps even slightly bashful smile, Kaze wasted little time in scurrying off into the masses.

Which left Tenshi with Hiniku.

With a wary glance, Tenshi looked over to her side, finding a pair of watching, waiting, and accusatory eyes looking back at her. A pout was defined on Hiniku's lips. "Since you've taken away all the good entertainment, what do we do now?" she questioned. It was in that moment Tenshi almost regretted her decision to let both Sakura and Kaze go.

"Good question…"

…

Despite the unpleasant pink company—or more aptly the green-eyed pink company—Sakura was having quite the enjoyable time with Rei. It was soon after they had parted ways with their teammates that the main event had started; the dragon boat race, that is. And while that would have been the highlight of say, Tenshi's day, Sakura could find several things she enjoyed so much more. Say, for example, the incense pouch Rei had bought her to celebrate the fact that her team had made it so far their rookie year.

So even past the point of dinner and nightfall, Sakura was still toying with the silk pouch she'd tied to her belt loop. It was a rich amethyst, trimmed with gold and embroidered with vibrant flowers.

"Still playing with your new toy?" Mariah remarked with a sneer, peering across Rei, who strode between them. "Then again, it is for children, so perhaps it is befitting."

"Then why don't you have one too, Mariah?" Sakura quipped with a smile. When Mariah's face turned sour and teeth began to bear, Rei put both hands up, one for each one.

"Come on, girls," he laughed, giving each a smile. "No need to bicker about this. Mariah, you have tons from when you were a kid." Rei ruffled her hair, and Sakura could tell that Mariah did not know whether to feel pleased or belittled. Sakura preferred the latter.

"So wait, this really is for kids?" she asked Rei, questioning then the thought behind her precious gift. Rei did a small shrug.

"They're the ones who tend to wear them, so I guess, yeah. But the whole purpose is to be a sort of medicinal charm. The incense inside is supposed to keep away illness and disease." The Chinese blader leaned over conspiratorially. "It doesn't just smell good," he said with a wink. Sakura could almost feel the blush rise up to her dark cheeks. But before she could utter a response, another voice cut in as equally annoying as Mariah's, but not hers.

"Well, look what the cat found," Lee commented, coming up to rest of White Tiger X in tow. He had a cocky smile on his face, but Sakura was determined to not give him any satisfaction. She was in far too good a mood. So instead of getting riled as usual, she turned to Rei and pointed at the trio that had just joined them.

"I do believe I've found your teammates, Rei," she declared, leaving the word 'regrettably' in her mouth and not aloud.

Lee crossed his arms with a light, but exasperated expression. "More like we found you guys! Where have you been all day?" he berated, looking more at Rei and Mariah than anything. "One minute we're all walking, and next thing we know, you two were gone!" The only thing this invoked was another bout of Rei's chuckling.

"Sorry, guys. Mariah pulled me over to try some food, and then we just lost you," he explained, and inside her head, Sakura did a double fist-pump. There had been something this whole time that reeked of Mariah's doing, but now it was just confirmed from Rei's mouth itself. To all the eyes that turned to stare at the pink female—some in accusation, some in exasperation, and one in jest—she only let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of her head.

"Whoops, I'm sorry," she apologized.

Sakura wasn't the only one to scoff. Apparently, for once, Lee felt the same as her. It was expressed in the thin-pressed line that was his lips. "Mariah," he started, hands on his waist in a stern manner.

"What? I said I was sorry. Don't be such a spoilsport, Lee!" she chided with surrendered hands. "It's not like we were really lost. And we stayed together."

"That's not the point."

"Then what is the point?"

"If you wanted to hang out Rei, you could've just said something, instead of disappearing and worrying us!"

"As if you were worried!"

The verbal sparring continued between the siblings and Sakura could not help but fight to keep her laughter inside. As much she disliked Lee, she was enjoying watching Mariah squirm far more. However, it was in the middle of it all that she felt a hand wrap around her wrist. With wide cocoa eyes, she traced the hand up the adjoining arm to Rei's grinning face. He lifted a finger to his lips to warn her silence, gave a nod to his other teammates—Gary and Kevin—and off he slipped, tugging Sakura along with him. And while Sakura did want to ask what he was doing, where they were going, for once she kept silent and just enjoyed the moment.

So Rei pulled her through the crowded streets of the Beijing night, his hand slowly sliding down to hers. She had to bit her lip to fight back the smile that threatened to expose her. Soon they were out beyond the streets and buildings, the moon and stars smiling down on them as they reached the riverside. Where it was once filled with onlookers during the momentous dragon boat races, it was now fairly scarce. It was then that Rei finally stopped. Releasing her hand, the Chinese blader dropped to the ground to sit on the lush grass. With a grin, he patted the spot next time. Grinning like a toddler on Christmas, Sakura obliged.

"Okay, so now tell me, what was all that about?" she finally asked, unafraid of having the spell broken.

"Sorry about that," Rei apologized first with a chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "Mariah and Lee can go at it for a while, so I figured we should get out of there and let them settle things. Besides, this is one of the best spots to watch the fireworks in a bit."

Sakura waved it off easily. "Don't worry about it!" she assured him. "I like spending time with you, so it doesn't really matter to me, though I do love me some fireworks."

At the implication of her words, Rei looked away with an embarrassed hue to his cheeks. "You flatter me, Sakura. Some times a little too much," he laughed, golden eyes overlooking the rippling river.

She puffed up and put her hands on her seated hips. "As if!" she declared, "You're a great guy, an awesome captain, and an unstoppable blader!"

"I'm not all that."

"Of course you are! I say so!"

At this, Rei could not help but burst into a fight of laughs, clutching his stomach. Sakura, while pleased she'd amused him, pouted. "What, it's true!" she attested, but Rei only continued to crack up. After a moment of composing himself, Rei finally looked over at her.

"You're something else, you know that?" he said, the grin on his lips reaching the amusement in his eyes.

"I take that as a compliment!" Sakura said proudly, triumphantly puffing her chest. Giving herself a small laugh, she moved to lean back on her hands when one of them fell atop of one of Rei's. "Ahh! I'm sorry!" she squawked an apology, but Rei shook his head and moved his hand to hold hers beneath his.

"Nah, it's okay," he reconciled, keeping his gaze trained on the stars above. Then Sakura thought she glimpsed red streak across his face. But she was wrong. Because the red light reflected on his face was accompanied by a roar in the sky. With a gasp, Sakura whirled to the sound of the noise, only for her surprise to shift to glee as she noted the fireworks shooting up into the night. Red. Yellow. Green. A plethora of colors dazzled for them to see in swirls, twirls, and explosions. Rei had been right: they truly were so easy to see from the riverside.

"It's beautiful," she muttered in awe and amazement.

"They're like you."

Sakura tore her eyes away at that, wide eyes directed at Rei then. While she felt she was hoping against hope, she wanted her ears not to be deceiving her. "Did you just say 'like me'?" she repeated, almost scared that this was actually happening. To her delight, Rei nodded and chuckled.

"Bright and explosive, just like you," he explained. While happy at his words, she was a bit disappointed and her gaze fell. But before that could carry on, he added, "And beautiful." Her eyes shot to him, finding them meeting his this time, a toothy smile on his face. Sakura guessed her jaw was probably a bit slack, but she could not form a word for a moment, surprisingly. "What? I'm not the only meriting compliments here."

Even after he turned away to watch the fireworks, her eyes rested on him, a million thoughts racing through her head, fast enough to cause a circuit-break. Between this, and their escape, and entire day in accumulation, she felt strong, confident. Which is what led her to make the first move and plant her lips softly on his cheek.

And then she came to her senses and pulled back quickly, her dark face in a flurry of red. Rei's head snapped to the side, gazing at her with wide eyes and Sakura knew she had made a mistake then. She turned away very quickly to break their stare, a twist in her gut. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," Sakura apologized, flushed. "That was a mistake…"

But her voice cut off as the hand that held hers remained despite, even tightened. "Sakura," she heard him say, and it took quite a bit of bravery to risk another glance his way. But when she took that risk, her eyes made contact with his and the gaze was held, his golden ones earnest. "Don't be sorry. That was not a mistake," Rei told her. At first, she could not bring herself to believe him, but the quirk of his friendly grin affirmed it.

"You mean you…?"

"I'm saying that I like you, I really like hanging out with you, and I think you're great, Sakura." Rei's smile widened toothily and he chuckled. "It was perhaps forward, but I know I'm willing to see where this goes for us. I'd really like that."

Despite the fireworks bellowing in the sky, Sakura could only keep her eyes on Rei. A grin slipped across her lips and just grew wider and wider as her heart lifted. She allowed her head to rest on his shoulder as she laughed happily, and Rei did not pull away. With one more look at the blader's radiant grin, she turned to look up again at the sky, thinking that perhaps this tournament was not a good thing just for her sister.

**M Y**

"Fireworks!" Max yelped with a smile as his eyes traced the colors illuminating the sky. Vivid colors shot up into the sky, littering the night sky with artificial stars. Kaze could not help but chuckle, seeing as how her companion was grinning like a kid in a candy store… or perhaps even like Tyson in a buffet. Whatever the analogy, it brought a laugh and a smile to see Max's face light up. The people surrounding them in the Beijing streets also tilted their heads towards the sky. And normally Kaze would have been ecstatic as well—nothing like a good pyrotechnic show. However, there was a problem. And that problem was only being able to see half of the fireworks due to the city buildings around them.

"Max," she started, resting a hand on his shoulder. Once he turned to her, amusement still in his eyes, Kaze continued, "let's go back by the river, where the races were earlier."

"Sure! I'm sure the view will be great there," he agreed with a big smile. Looking around furtively, he also then added, a hand to failingly conceal his mouth to the public. "Besides, I hear the river is quite the romantic spot on a night such as this, wink wink!" His words had their intended affect, which was causing Kaze to laugh in response, though she rolled her eyes good-naturedly as well. Taking this as a positive sign, he held out a hand for her take. Her milky eyes weighed the options and consequences of taking the boy's hand.

Her final verdict was subtle, placing her hand inside his. But the smile and gleeful expression she received in return for her actions made her decide it worth it. "This way, I think!" he said, leading her through the crowd, a pip in his step. The booms and rolling thunder of the artistic night explosion reverberated through the streets.

"Max, are you sure you know where we're going?" she asked him after a minute. After all, they hadn't strayed too far from the waterfront—most of their day had been spent there, between the races and just talking. Plus, she really wanted to see the fireworks before they finished, and neither knew how much longer they would continue. Max stopped in his tracks, glancing from side to side, his eyes circling the area in mild confusion.

"I'm… not sure. Are we, Kaze?"

"You think I know?" she responded, but her gaze strayed to their surroundings, trying to rack her brain for the most possible way. Everything looked so different at night… "Let's try… that way!" Kaze declared, feeling triumphant in her guess as she pointed a confident finger towards a nearby alleyway. It lead towards the direction of the fireworks, so that would be where the river was. At least, that was the extent of her logic. "To that trail, we will blaze!"

Max puffed up his chest and pointed towards the same alleyway. "That trail it is!" he concurred, playing along with her antics. The two exchanged twinful glances of humor before setting off. Cutting through the crowd, they found their way to the alleyway and took off. Booms echoed between the barricading walls, and the main source of light was from the bursting rainbows above.

It was because of those two factors that Kaze nearly missed the sound of a whirring beyblade as it whizzed in midair right past her. "What the—!" Max interjected as it spun past his ear. Both of them froze and planted their feet, albeit Max nearly running into Kaze in front of him. He looked behind them, the direction the blade had come, and his bright blue eyes dampened their glimmer. He frowned. "Hey, Kaze… We've got bad company."

But she did not have to hear him to know that. And she did not hear him at all. Her eyes were focused on the blade in front of her. Pitch black. Which meant one thing to her. "Please don't tell me…" But her request remained unfinished as she turned to look behind them. And yet, her request was denied, because it was just as she'd thought.

A member of the Shinigamiz.

"The one person in the tournament you don't want to run into in a dark alley…" she muttered. But she kept her voice low and eyes trained ahead at the hooded figure. Her mind was whizzing and searching for possible solutions to this scenario. She was coming up fairly dry. "So, now what do we do?" Kaze whispered over to Max, her moonstreaked eyes never leaving the focus of her attentions.

"We reason with him?" Max suggested with a tense shrug.

"Let me know how that goes."

With eyes as hard as Kaze's, Max looked at the imposing figure, edging himself subtly and slightly in front of Kaze. If this were any other moment, Kaze would've found this sweet, but she had more pertinent concerns. "So, can we go? Just head out of here and on our merry way and pretend we never crossed paths?" He only received silence in return. Max's frown furrowed. "Look, I don't know what kind of game you're playing but—"

At that moment, he noticed the whirring behind him get louder. And the beyblade would've hit him head on, if not for the redirection of a golden one that slammed into it. Kaze's blade landed after hitting the Shinigamiz member's blade, whirling back to her feet as she now stood back to back with Max.

"Really? Now you're trying to sabotage other bladers?" she called out, unable to watch the blader when his blade was all the more deadly. Then, finally, a reply of sorts. A snarky sort of snicker echoed across the encamping walls, seeping around them with more resonance than the thunderous fireworks. It was enough to make both Max and Kaze clench their fists.

"So, what do we do now?" he asked her.

"Let me get back to you on that," she replied, and just as she did, the dark blade lunged toward her own, causing her to tense for battle. Then the blade pulled back. It faked again. Pulled back. The blader's dark chuckling grew, and it was enough to set Kaze further on edge. Patience—her mantra. Patience. Calming herself, the first thing she did was have Kila push back against the other blade. Kila beat it back with a steadiness comparable to its blader's patience. Soon she had the dark beyblade pushed back to its Shinigamiz master. Finally at ease, she was able to turn and face both the blade and the blader.

And that's when she noticed it.

Amid the booming overhead and dark of his cloak, the fireworks above lit the alley in a strange way. A way that allowed Kaze to glimpse the face of the blader. Her blood ran cold.

"Wait a second…" she mumbled, eyes honing in on the details she could make out. Max gave spared her a brief, and curious glance before his aquamarine pupils rested back on their offender.

"What's up, Kaze?" he asked, feeling like he was missing something. Which indeed he was, because Kaze was starting to catch a feeling in her gut, a tug at her memory.

She continued to stare at him, and it was almost like a staring contest between the two—assuming that under his hood, the fearsome figure was actually looking back. "Do I know you…?" she questioned through narrowed eyes. The person before them said nothing and did nothing, but through the glimmering fire-bright lights, she could make out the physical stiffen to his lips "I do know you, don't I?" Kaze reiterated, firmer and projecting over the cannonade above.

If any of her teammates were there, they would most likely march up and strip the freak of his hood by this point. Sakura's impulsive, Hiniku's confident, Tenshi's tough, and she… Kaze gripped her fists. She was clever. "Kila!" she called out with a determined look. "I think we need a breeze!" And knowing her master's command, the beyblade began to spin rapidly, a tornado emerging from its blade. In that moment, she was thankful to have the wind at her fingertips. And then, she almost regretted it. Because then she saw the hood fly back, the face revealed. And it was a face she recognized, just as—little did she know—it had for Tenshi. Honey-nut hair and boyish face.

"Kyogi?"

Kaze couldn't believe her eyes. What was the boy from down the block doing blading for the Shinigamiz? She had to strain her recollection to even remember last she had seen of him. He had moved away so long ago; just what had he gotten himself caught up in? "What happened to you?" she pressed, now thoroughly confused.

The male cloaked before her seemed uncomfortable and quickly replaced his hood, no longer emitting the cocky aura as before. Max looked from Kaze to him in confusion and wariness. "Kaze, do you know this guy?" he asked. He received a slow nod in reply.

"He grew up around our part of town," she replied, her gaze never leaving Kyogi's. "He was mostly a friend to Tenshi…" Kaze's voice trailed and her pupils widened. Puzzle pieces fit and gears clicked together. "Tenshi," she muttered. Taking a step toward. "You're the reason she flipped out at the stadium during the All-Starz match. She recognized you." Kaze was smacking herself at that moment for not realizing it at the time—and a little irritated that Tenshi had not said a word to the team at all—but at that precise moment, she had more pressing affairs. "What happened to you?" she asked again.

"Nothing happened," Kyogi snorted, but his feet shifted uncomfortably.

"Something did, because I don't recall this part of you. If Spartan could see how you turned out—"

"Please. He still sees me every day," he interjected with a roll of his eyes. But when Kaze's eyes grew, Kyogi knew he'd made a mistake. Gritting his teeth, he reached out a swift hand to summon back his blade. And before Kaze or Max could do a thing, he turned abruptly and sprinted back into the street.

"Hey, wait!" Kaze called out, following him back out, unhearing of Max's calls behind her. Hitting the street, her wispy eyes searched with strain all around her. No cloak. No hood. Gone. "Crap…" she muttered, the full realization of his slip sinking in. It even made sense why Tenshi hadn't mentioned anything to them. Kaze was sure her friend was still trying to soak it in. And to think, she'd just figured Tenshi was tired…

"Kaze!"

Her head snapped to the sound, hearing at last as Max trotted over to her, resting a hand on her shoulder and gazing at her with concern and confusion. "Kaze, what's going on?" he asked in somber tones. Kaze's chest heaved with her breathing, trying to push down the panic attack starting to riot up.

"I know who the Shinigamiz are, Max," she said in a faraway voice. "And right now, we've got to talk to Tenshi."

**H E A R T**

One more time. If she said it one more time…

"Tenshi, I'm—"

"Don't say it…"

"—bored."

Tenshi had to resist the urge to tug at her hair. She loved Hiniku—deep down—and the Korean was a very good friend. But when she was bored, that went out the window. "You have the attention span of a five-year-old," Tenshi remarked, shooting her teammate a sideways glance. Hiniku only smiled back at her.

"At least five-year-olds know how to have fun. They take naps, watch cartoons, take naps, do coloring pages, take naps…"

"I get the idea," Tenshi cut her off, her weariness showing. She looked down at the pyramidal green form in her hand and quirked a brow. "And what did you say this was again?"

Hiniku finished chomping down on her own snack and swallowed. "The vendor called it 'zongzi'."

"And do we know what that is?"

"Seaweed wrapped around a bunch of rice with some kind of filling!" she confidently declared, patting her now happy belly. However, it did not seem satisfied, hence why Hiniku then turned and looked at the one in Tenshi's hand. "You gonna eat that?" With just a smirk and roll of her teammate's eyes as a reply, Hiniku was handed the Chinese treat. Greedily, she began to munch, enamored. "You know," she started, swallowing another bite, "I wish the fireworks were longer."

"Here we go again…"

"I mean, I wanted a dragon! A giant firework dragon!"

"That's so stereotypical, Hiniku."

"And yet, it would have been awesome."

Tenshi chuckled and looked down the street, noting that the onlookers were now clearing the streets. But before she could even question why, the answer came to her. A procession started down the streets, acrobats and musicians leading the way. "Well, maybe you'll see a dragon in this parade," she nudged Hiniku.

The shorter member's eyes lit up. "Really? YES!" she exclaimed, her eyes quickly flashing to the parade, attention captive. Tenshi sighed a breath of relief, as if she had just dodged a bullet. Truly, Hiniku's attention needed constant stimulation.

"You know, Tensh," Hiniku started, gathering Tenshi's eyes to her, "why are we constantly getting ditched? I mean, Rei snatched up Sakura's attention and Max and Kaze are… something. Why are we forever alone?"

Tenshi could not help but laugh. "We're not forever alone, Hiniku. Let them have a breather."

Hiniku then whirled, eyeing Tenshi quite scrupulously. "And why aren't you irked at all by this, Miss Slave-Driver? Why aren't you throwing a tyrannic fist to summon them back for training?"

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Tenshi started, but took a second guess after seeing the accusatory look she was receiving. "Okay, fine, whatever. Point is, they've worked really hard to get here, even when blading isn't their sole purpose in life. Let them breathe a little. We've gotten this far, haven't we?" She wanted to mention how it was going end tragically come their next match, but that would be her secret to bear. Give the girls one more night.

However, Hiniku took her silence and compliance in a different direction. Her brow quirked up and a sly grin peaked her mouth. "I see… you like someone, don't you? A certain Russian blader, mayhaps?" Before Tenshi knew it, Hiniku was sidled up even closer to her, eyes wide and suspicious, yet devious. "You LIKE him, don't you? You like Kai!"

Tenshi smacked away the inculpating finger her teammate was pointing at her. "No, I don't. "

"Then why do I spy some tension between you two? Hm?"

Tenshi rubbed her temple, knowing where Hiniku was going. However, to reveal what that tension really was would open the floodgates of lots of problems—namely one involving their doom and gloom competitors. Instead, she deflected. "And what about you and Tala? The same could be said about you."

Hiniku scoffed. "As if! I would never like Tala. That's just… that's just…"

"A match made in heaven?" Tenshi jested. She was rewarded with the proper response: a red flare to her remark—whether it from opposition or embarrassment, could not be determined. Tenshi shrugged. "Opposites attract," she attested. "Quiet to loud, short to tall—"

"Tenshi!"

The teen just laughed, then nudged Hiniku playfully. "Oh come on, it was just a joke… mostly."

Hiniku stuck a tongue out Tenshi and crossed her arms. "Well, it wasn't funny," she mumbled. And then her eyes lit up with realization. "And way to turn it on me! Don't think I didn't see what you did there!" Hiniku tsked her, swagging a finger in addition. "What do you call that thing between you and Kai, huh?"

"An understanding."

"Then that's what's going on with Tala!" Hiniku piggybacked, though upon further inspection of the vocabulary, she muttered, "Then again, that may be too generous a word…"

"Or not generous enough."

Tenshi was allocated with another puffy face of irritation. "That's it! I'm done!" Hiniku huffed, and it took everything Tenshi had not to chuckle. "Goodbye! Sayonara! Ahnyoung!" Stuffing the rest of Tenshi's zongzi in her mouth, the female straightened up and strode away, moving to disappear into the masses watching the parade. With a roll of her eyes and a grin, Tenshi moved to follow after her, trying not to lose her. Last thing the team needs is for one of their own to get lost again. Or sprain an ankle again, just as Hiniku had stopped hobbling.

However, amongst the masses and the clamoring of the music and excitement in the street, it was difficult not to lose her. "Hiniku?" Tenshi called out in the crowd. In the roaring crowd, no response. "Hiniku?" she said louder, but to no avail. Tenshi grit her teeth, pushing through people and searching for her teammate. And just when she thought Hiniku was officially lost, she heard it.

"Hey, what the heck?"

Bingo. Tenshi moved to the sound of the interjection, instinctively knowing that voice and tone as Hiniku's. And when she found her, Hiniku was on the ground, fallen back on her behind. "Hiniku, are you okay…?" Tenshi started to speak, but then her eyes followed Hiniku's and stopped. So much for letting the girls enjoy their day. Why? Because her chestnut eyes fell to rest on a cloaked figure, imposing and sinister.

Shinigamiz.

She reached down to pull Hiniku to her feet, stare never leaving the enemy before them. "You okay, Hiniku?" Tenshi asked again. Out of her peripheral, she noticed Hiniku nodded while giving their competitor a glare as well.  
"I'm fine, except for the fact the circus freak decided to appear out of nowhere and knock me down."

While Tenshi wanted to remind Hiniku that it probably was not the best idea to mock the skulker when he was standing directly in front of them and in earshot, but before she could, she was interrupted.

"So I'm a circus freak, now? Good to know," the cloaked figure laughed. It was not Spartan, and it was not Kyogi—Tenshi was sure of that—but the voice was all too familiar. And considering who else she knew would hang with the likes of Spartan and Kyogi, there was only one other she could think of that would be bold enough to not care about blowing his cover. Tenshi truly hoped she was wrong, yet doubted it.

And this voice was one that Hiniku would know, and she did. Her brow puckered, unsure if she was hearing correctly in the surrounding noise and clamor. "Hey! Wait a second—"

"Are the gears starting to click together in your head? I can see the smoke coming out of your ears."

Hiniku's jaw dropped. "No freakin' way…"

Sure enough, just as boldly as Tenshi had pegged and feared, the young man removed his hood, revealing the jet-black hair tipped with hazelnut with the face that they used to know so well. "You might want to get your mouth checked out. Leaving that big thing open too long can't be good for you."

"Joo-shin…" she stumbled, still fitting the pieces together as she said his name. "What? When? Why…?" Hiniku was shifting her gaze back and forth between Joo-shin and Tenshi, thinking she was sharing surprise. Her voice trailed when she realized she wasn't. "Why… aren't you surprised?" she questioned her teammate, her expression becoming even more confused. "Tenshi, did you _know_?"

"I only guessed…"

"Oh, you mean she didn't tell you?" Joo-shin continued to press, a cocky smirk stretching across his lips as he pushed salt into the fresh wound. Hiniku's eyes narrowed then and her gaze continued to shift between him and Tenshi.

"Didn't tell me what?"

"That she knew who part of the team is. That she's seen Kyogi and that our captain is Spartan."

Hiniku's blood ran cold, whether from shock or betrayal. "No way…" she muttered. At that point, Tenshi had her complete focus, Hiniku's dark eyes revealing a number of emotions. "Spartan? But I thought—"

"So did I."

"And you didn't tell us? Why?"

Tenshi wasn't sure what to say to that. It was a loaded question, whether Hiniku realized it or not. There was not one answer, but a plethora of excuses. She did not want to think deep enough to find the real reason in that moment. The realization of all the lies sprang up to bite her heart, and the teeth sank deeper with Joo-shin's every mocking word.

"Ooooh. I think I spot some tension. You know, I hear that's not very good to have amongst teammates."

"Oh, shut-up!" Tenshi finally snapped, eyes boring into his. In their time apart, Joo-shin surely hadn't learned to shut his trap, and it grate on her even more than before. "What do you want? Because if you're just here to antagonize the competition, we're done here."

The tall young man tsked at her behavior. "Now, now, you still haven't learned any manners. That's a shame."

"Cut the crap and what do you want?" Hiniku voiced, standing firmly next to Tenshi with hard eyes at their past. Tenshi looked over to her and saw the thumbs up the Korean gave her, which was enough for her. All Hiniku knew was that for some reason, Tenshi kept this a secret and she probably had legitimacy behind it. She'd ask her later, but right now, they were going to be united.

But just as Joo-shin opened his mouth to emit more sarcasm and wit, another voice cut him off with the simple call of his name. Tenshi repressed the gulp in her throat, but it took Hiniku a moment to compose herself as Spartan, hood already down, strode into their midst after pushing through the jostling masses. His billowing cloak matched the night. The look in her eye was like seeing a ghost—which she may as well have been, since until this moment Hiniku had believed Spartan to be dead. And if this was how she felt, she could not imagine what Tenshi had been feeling since she found out. What does one say in that case scenario, though?

"Okay, seriously: how has your team not been arrested yet for looking like a herd of murderers on the run?"

Despite the tension of the moment, Tenshi couldn't completely stifle the chuckle in her throat. In fact, the stiff air probably made it all that much funnier. In a moment such as this, only Hiniku could manage to pull off a joke. Spartan, however, also sneered, which was not very welcoming in light of their situation. "Connections," he simply answered, as if he knew something that they did not. Which may have been very true, though after previous conversation with Kai, Tenshi felt she might know where the 'connections' stemmed. "But anywho, I'm sorry to cut this chat short, ladies, but I do believe my teammate and I have other business to attend to."

Not liking the sound of that, Tenshi followed the gaze of his that swooped past her, turning to find the surprise of Kai and Tala off in the distance. While she was curious why they would be out and about when clearly crowds and anything to do with celebration was not in their domain, what she didn't want to know was what the Shinigamiz had in store. "Or you could just get lost and leave them alone," she said, turning back to Spartan with a fire. And then her awareness cranked up a notch. Why? Because as soon as she said that, Spartan's demeanor changed.

It was not anything his face expressed, exactly. It was not anything he did at that moment. It was just a feeling he gave off, a vibe Tenshi was so used to picking up: the one where his analytical mastermind was at work and finding resolution. It was as if she could see him mentally weighing pros and cons and putting something together. So when his sneer widened and grew, while not knowing what to expect exactly, Tenshi knew it was not going to go well.

"Or perhaps you could help me, for old time's sake."

His words had not even been made a complete sentence before they were put into effect. With a tilt of his head, he'd motioned for Joo-shin, and together they grabbed the arms of the two girls, giving them a hearty shove down the nearest back alley. Hiniku yelped and Tenshi was cut off mid-interjection. The former was enough to catch the ear of the Russian redhead; afterall it would not be the first time he'd heard the sound. His abrupt stop was enough to alert Kai, who had dismissed the sounds as part of the populous celebrations. Crimson and icy eyes both turned just in time to see the girls being pushed down the alley. And then Spartan's eyes met Kai's, an obvious sneer on his face.

"It's probably their fault," Tala mumbled, observing with tight eyes and a strict memory of the girls' behaviors. Kai said nothing, knowing from the very look that the Shinigamiz captain gave him that this probably had little to do with Tenshi and Hiniku, and more about him and Boris. "But you want to help them," he heard Tala continue after a minute. Kai still said nothing, watching Spartan and his teammate slip into the dark alley. "Yeah, we should probably help them," Tala conceded. So that was why when Kai started walking wordlessly towards the alleyway, Tala followed. "Okay, we'll go help them."

After taking quick strides, the two Blitzkrieg Boys arrived just as Tenshi was landing a solid blow to Joo-shin's solar plexus with a hardy grunt. Hiniku wrenched away from him, and when within reach, Tala tugged her arm to pull her behind him. "Just what did you guys do to tick them off?" he asked, looking back at her with an eye. Hiniku frowned.

"We didn't do anything, thank-you very much!" Hiniku said with a roll of her eyes. But then those eyes watched as Joo-shin twisted Tenshi's arm behind her back, a grimace of pain clear on her face, not overshadowed by the fury and strength there. Hiniku wanted to move forward to help, but Tala's arm and body stayed her, keeping her behind him.

However, Kai had no such boundaries. Taking things into his own hands, he shoved past Spartan to get to his teammate, giving him a solid kick to the stomach as Kai pulled Tenshi away. "What the crap is wrong with you two?" she growled as Kai pulled her back, ignoring the safety of his grasp. "Have you guys really changed so much?"

"I wouldn't say 'change' so much as 'matured'," Spartan replied with ease with a sneer and a shrug. Tala's icy irises flittered from Spartan, to Joo-shin, to Tenshi, to Hiniku.  
"Wait, do you guys _know_ these freaks?" he snarled, noting the tight gaze in Hiniku's eyes as she stared at the two Shinigamiz.

"Used to," Hiniku said simply. "It's a long story…"

"One you'll have plenty of time to tell," Spartan interrupted. "Change of plans, Joo-shin." And that's when Hiniku noticed the small metal ball he was fingering in his palm. Before she could utter a word, and before Tenshi could shout a warning, he stopped, dropped, and rolled it towards the other four. Billows of smoke and steam seeped out and around them. Tenshi couldn't see, she couldn't breathe. But she could hear the whisper: "Get them all."

She wanted to move, wanted to get away. She grabbed the arm nearest to her, knowing instinctually it was Kai. Suddenly, there was a sudden pain in the back of her neck. Then the world spun and everything went black.


	12. When Worse Gets Worse

**Never Stop My Heart**

**By Mishi-chan**

**A/N: Wow! Almost 500 hits since last chapter on this story alone! For someone who's been away for several years, this is awesome to me. First, I'd like to begin with a couple of shout-outs!**

**GirlGryffindor:**** Thank-you for favoriting! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

**BisounoursEnGuimauve: Wow! You just favorited so recently I almost missed it! Thank-you so much!  
**

**Invisible Love:**** I'm so glad you enjoyed it as per usual! xD Yes, I know it took too long, but I'm hoping to start making up for that at least in quality of the chapters! Thank-you for your continuing exurberance and adoration of the story!**

**MuraSakura:**** I was hoping you'd love the fluff this chapter! I can't understand why you wouldn't though xD And yes, that was indeed an Ocean's Eleven reference. I was hoping at least somebody would catch it, but I know for a fact you've seen that movie a lot, so… xD**

**Anonymous:**** Thank-you so much for your review! I'm so glad to be able to attract new readers to this story, and your praise means so much to me. I'm glad that you love this and I hope I can continue to excite you and compel you to read it, even if they chapters can get fairly long! xD**

**Crazee Pyro:**** Yeah, trust me, I had to do a lot of re-reading myself to even write this chapter! I couldn't believe it when I realized that I dropped the story just when the plot was beginning to thicken and quicken! So yes, the story is going to be getting deeper and deeper from here on out!**

**And to everyone, yes, I knew I was going to catch some flak for the cliff at the end, but I hope it makes you even more excited to read this chapter! I know it's made me even more excited to write it, and it feels good to get some passionate responses. Your reviews mean the world to me and they fuel me, so thank-you all!**

**And of course, the inevitable disclaimer: I sure hope you guys know by now that clearly Beyblade and all of its characters are not of my own creation. Tenshi, the bit-beats, and the Shinigamiz are mine; Kaze belongs to my associate; Invisible Love and MuraSakura each take Hiniku and Sakura respectively. **

**This chapter is much shorter than the previous, and I partially apologize, but I also want to start getting the chapters out faster, especially as we head towards the end. I had been at my wit's end trying to figure out where to end this chapter, and when I wrote the last bit, I knew that was it. A great place to leave it off. It was much earlier than I had anticipated, but you can look toward another chapter sooner! Some of you may be happy, some of you may be sad by that. Oh well!**

**Now, without further ado, let us continue to the twelfth chapter of NSMH!**

* * *

**NEVER  
**

"Any sign of them?"

"Not even a glimpse. Did either pick up their phones?"

"No." Sakura ran an aggravated hand through her hair and felt no need to suppress the growl in her throat. "This just doesn't make sense, Kaze. Where could they have gone?" she asked, clenching her teeth. Her eyes flickered around her surroundings, wishing for an answer.

Hours had passed, and yet no one had seen or heard from their elusive teammates. The festivities had slowed, the masses dispersed. Streets were littered with trash, vacant. If anything, it should have been easier to spot people in the thoroughfare, yet Tenshi and Hiniku were nowhere to be found. "And you called the hotel room too, right? To make sure they just didn't go back early?" Kaze asked again, though she already knew the answer.

"Yeah, I called multiple times. They're not answering there or either of their phones. So where the heck are they?" Sakura grumbled, a dark feeling settling in her gut.

At the sound of quick and thudding footfalls, both Winged Guardians turned, only to be dismayed that it was just Max. "Did you guys find them?" he panted, blue eyes searching the girls' for a hopeful answer. He did not get it either.

"Still nothing," Kaze reported with a tilted frown.

"No luck here, either."

Rei came up on Sakura's side, expression full of regret not to bring back better news. A hand on her hip, she clenched the back of her neck. "This just doesn't make any sense!" she bellowed in frustration. "It's not like they could just disappear!"

"It's Tenshi and Hiniku, Sakura," Rei said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's possible maybe Hiniku got lost and Tenshi's busy looking for her. Or maybe their phones got messed up and they're just on their way back to the hotel now." And while all of this was meant to reassure Sakura, it had the opposite effect.

"That would be normal. But this isn't normal; nothing about this tournament is normal anymore…" Sakura turned to look at Kaze, and their gazes twinned serious. "Are you sure it was Kyogi?"

Kaze nodded, grave. "I'm positive. There was no doubt about it," she affirmed, clearly unhappy with the turn of events. And judging from her expression, Sakura was not either.

"And he mentioned seeing some guy named Spartan…" Max spoke slowly, gauging how the words affected Sakura. Kaze's jaw tightened and Sakura completely stiffened. Her eyes grew wide, in shock, in disbelief. Slowly they drifted to beseech Kaze's moonlit eyes. To Sakura's horror, Kaze nodded, answering her teammate's silent plea.

"But… how is that possible? Do you think Kyogi is completely off his rocker now?"

Kaze shook her head and let out an aggravated sigh. "I don't know what to believe anymore, but Kyogi seemed in his right mind, albeit not the same mind we used to know…"

"Okay, guys, hold on," Rei asserted, straightening up and looking between the two girls. "What exactly is going on? Do you guys know the Shinigamiz or something?"

"Yeah, you can't leave us in the dark here," Max piped in, his usual bubble popped and thus leaving a serious young man. "We're part of this now, too. So what just happened?"

A tense silence fell amongst the group of four. Both Max and Rei's eyes flittered between the Winged Guardians, but the females' eyes remained focused on each other, debating. It was easy to figure out when they made their decision, because then Sakura relented an exhalation. "The short answer is yes, it seems that we know at least one of the Shinigamiz. Kyogi grew up in our hometown. However, Spartan…" Sakura's eyes narrowed, "was one of Tenshi's closest friends. And he is dead. Or at least, that's what we've thought for the past two years."

If the past silence was tense, this silence was abrasive. From the expressions on the guys' faces, one would think Sakura had just uncorked a grenade. And she felt as if she had just experienced the consequential explosion. "Tenshi knew…" she mumbled, the realization coming. "That's what Tenshi's been hiding… she knew!" Sakura faced Kaze, alarmed. "Tenshi knew about Spartan! That would be the only thing big enough to hide from us." In a way, despite the situation, her blood boiled a little. This was a big secret to keep from the team, from her sister. Sakura's fists clenched and unclenched passionately.

But she didn't have time to worry about this new revelation. Sakura could go off on her sister when she was recovered. "We can talk more about this later. We've got to find Tenshi and Hiniku. Right now, we know we have an unwanted connection to the Shinigamiz and two of our teammates are missing. I want them found." Taking her phone out again, she started to dial in a number. "I'm going to call them again," Sakura continued, pressing the phone to her ear, "just in case they pick…"

But her voice trailed and the group member's all went on alert. Why? Because somewhere very close, a phone started going off. And it wasn't out of the question that it was someone else's phone—after all, it's possible for people in China to enjoy European trance, right? So Sakura hung up. The tune stopped. She dialed Tenshi's number again. And the music commenced again. Kaze took off after the sound, Sakura and the guys nipping at her heels. They had not needed to go far; Kaze turned down the nearest alleyway.

There it was: a cellphone, glowing with the vibrance of a new call. With a swift dip and scoop, Kaze held it in her hand, her heart sinking a bit. Turning to her companions, she said, "It's Tenshi's." That in and of itself meant so much to Sakura.

"And Tenshi would never forget or drop her phone," the cocoa sister concluded. It was with a heavy heart she said those words. At that moment, she wanted to fall to her knees, to crumble with the weight of that knowledge. But instead, Sakura stood firm, immobile. "Something definitely happened to them." Sakura's mind reeled. She whirled around, stomping out of the alley.

"Sakura!" she heard a voice cry out, and soon a warm, comforting hand tugged at her elbow, staying her. Murky eyes met Rei's golden orbs. "What are you doing?" he questioned her.

"We've got to do something! At least report them missing, get the cops to start looking—"

"The last thing you need to do right now is get the authorities involved," Rei cut off. "Getting the Chinese authorities involved would make this a huge mess. We don't want the BBA to end up having an international incident on their hands."

Clearly Sakura did not like this answer, but when she turned to get rapport from her teammate, she was dismayed. Kaze was nodding her head in agreement with Rei. "He's right, Saku. We can't get them involved. If we call them in, there's no going back, and if they come back safe and sound, it'd be too late to stop the chaos this would mean for the BBA and international relations. The press would have a field day."

"So we do nothing but just hope for the best?" Sakura tore away from Rei, looking at the traitorous faces around her.

"Sakura," Rei started again, voice grim but still patient and assuring, "we just don't want to jump into this without all the facts. So let's go back to the hotel, see if we hear from them, and if we don't soon, then we'll get more people involved."

"But…"

"You don't have to do nothing," Max said, coming up on Kaze's side, trying to help them assure the frantic female. "We can take the waiting time to look into what the BBA has on the Shinigamiz, see if we can start connecting the dots there."

Kaze stepped over to Sakura, placing a hand on her shoulder as she stared into her teammate's eyes. "Everything is going to be fine. It's Tenshi and Hiniku. They'll look out for each other. We just got to do what we can on this end now."

It felt as if the universe was collapsing in around Sakura. The amazing day she'd been having had just been shot and left for dead. Her teammates—her friends!—were missing, and it could potentially be related to a team of grim reaper rejects. What was she supposed to do? But her gaze moved from Max, to her friend, and then to Rei; all of them mirrored determination and tension. After a few moments deliberation, she surrendered.

"Fine. Now let's go find out what the crap is up with the freakshow team."

**STOP**

It was cold. It was hard. It was dirty. Those are the only things Hiniku could register at first. Those were the things that she felt beneath her numb fingertips, beneath her cheek. Cold seemed to seep through her very pores. Then the subtle throbbing ached in her head. Hiniku grimaced. But then, at last, she heard the voices.

"Hiniku! Hiniku, wake up already!"

"Do you think something is wrong with her? I mean, aside from her height?"

"Oh, shut-up, Tala!"

"I'm with her on this one. Shut-up."

It was not a stretch for Hiniku, despite her groggy confusion, to decipher whose voices she was hearing. "Yeah… shaddup, Tala," she grumbled, clenching her eyes as she pushed herself up from her stomach. "I'm just fine." Rising to her feet, holding her head, Hiniku finally opened her eyes. Then they widened in surprise. "Where the heck are we?"

The cold beneath her had been stone, as were all the walls around her. Large slabs of grey built up around her, metal bars before her capturing her within. "What is going on here?" Hiniku cried out, grabbing the bars and giving them a hefty shake.

"Well, my best guess is that we were just kidnapped by the Shinigamiz. Then again, that's just a guess." Tala's sardonic words echoed across the space in front of her, which is when Hiniku realized he was being held in a cell perfectly parallel to her own.

"Thank-you, Captain Obvious," came Kai's voice from Hiniku's left. Gaze flittering past Tala, she found the young male resting forward on the bars of his cell next to Tala. As Hiniku added up the head count in her mind, her eyes began to widen frantically as she came up one short.

"Wait! Where's—?"

"I'm right here, Hiniku. Don't freak out."

She could hear her friend's voice, but she was unsure of where she was. Kai gave her a subtle, directive nod and Tala jutted a thumb to her left. Craning her neck as far as she could with the barring metal of her cell, Hiniku could make out the feminine figure in the cell directly next to hers. Tenshi twinkled her fingers to her. "I'm right here," she said again, finalizing the assurance.

Hiniku breathed a small sigh of relief, knowing that her teammate was okay—well, and their male companions, but they took no priority over friendship. "So, how long was I—were we out?"

Tala shrugged in his cell. "Hard to say," he admitted, "no light down here, and no one's got a phone."

Turning towards Tenshi's cell, she called out, "Not even you, Tensh?"

"Nope. Either they took it or it fell in the smog, take your pick."

"And speaking of 'they'," Tala spoke out again, causing the Korean's stare to shift back to him. It locked with the icy irises so similar to his Russian arctic. "When are you guys going to explain how you know the dangerous freaks that have been wrecking this competition and have now taken us hostage?"

Hiniku raised her hands in defense. "Hey, I just found out I knew them!"

Tala's gaze lifted from her, however, and focused on Tenshi diagonally from him. Catching the guilty and tense expression on her face, he zeroed in. "Then you," he asked her pointedly and namelessly, "what is going on and what did you do to get us wrapped up in this mess?"

Indignance flared up across her face at the accusation and her hands clenched the bars in front of him. "Look, I may know who they are and have a history, but—"

"They're BioVolt, Tala."

The tossed words and angry stares between the cells ceased and all eyes turned to Kai. His forearm draped above his head on the bars, his crimson stare met Tenshi's briefly. A silent exchange was made, their secret out. Tenshi bit the inside of her lip and released a frustrated sigh. Tala, however, angled his face against the bars to try and see his teammate as best as he could. Crimson redirected from Tenshi to Tala, the gravity of the words being conveyed to him in that one look. The Blitzkrieg Boy cursed under his breath. Taking a step back, the words settled in further and Tala lashed out. His clenched fist rioted against the stone wall.

Meanwhile, Hiniku could manage nothing but a confused expression, one that flittered from Tenshi's frustration, Kai's severity, to Tala's outrage. "Um, guys?" she voiced, breaking the tense silence with cautious words. All faces looked to her. "I'm sorry, but what does that mean? What is BioVolt?"

Just as Kai and Tala began to give her dark looks of shock, Tenshi spoke up, "Hiniku wouldn't know. She just started last year." While the explanation was sufficient, that did not completely erase the reaction from Tala's face. Turning toward Hiniku's cell, she continued, "Hiniku, remember all those scandals I would rant and rave about? Like the Bit-Beast thefts and the BBA takeover?" Upon seeing Hiniku's slow nod, Tenshi concluded, "Well, that was all BioVolt. And now the Shinigamiz are working for them."

It did not take long for Hiniku to piece the facts together, and when she did, her expression shifted from confusion to disbelief. "You mean to tell me Spartan is not only back from the grave, but he's gathered up his old pals and now working for an organization bent on taking over the Beyblading world?" Silence met her question, but the looks from Kai and Tenshi affirmed it for her. Hiniku took a deep breath, allowing the reality to sink in. "This is insane…" she mumbled, pacing back a bit. She looked at the lock on Tala's cell and back up at him, as he was easiest to see. "Why don't we use our blades to bust out of this joint then?"

The redheaded blader gave her a deadpanned eye. His brow quirked, and his voice dripped with sarcasm. "Gee, that's such a great idea," he said, rolling his aquamarine irises before resting them on the Korean again. "Have you checked your pockets recently?"

Hiniku's first reaction would have been to behave rashly and return his snippiness with some sort of remark. Would have been, if not for the fact that her pockets did indeed feel lighter than they should have been. She began to pat down her cargos frantically, the dismay growing in her heart as she found them to be empty. "What the heck? They even took our blades!" she yelped in a mixture of surprise and outrage.

Then there was a click of feet on stone floor and a swish of cloth. Words from a mouth most familiar followed. "Well of course we did. After all, this all would have been for naught otherwise!" The four captives turned to find Spartan, confident and smirking as he descended down the stairs and entered their presence, flanked by two guards. Instead of his usual garb of doom and gloom, Spartan was clothed in grey and black, a sort of uniform. The BioVolt logo glimmered above where his heart should be. He looked to Kai first. One brow was quirked up. "Besides, we couldn't have you all damaging our facilities with them. From what I hear, one of you has a prior in that department." Kai glared back at him, which only served to deepen his sneer. Looking away from him, Spartan scanned over the other three with his gaze. "And the rest of you—well, I would certainly say you have the probability of doing the same. You'll get your blades back when we're done looking over them."

"And what if we want them now?"

Spartan looked over to find Tenshi's piercing gaze on him, face stone-cold. "Well, I'd have to say no then, despite our lovely history together," he declined, watching the twitch and tense of Tenshi's facial muscles as he ambled over to her cell. The situation seemed to have amused him, because Spartan let out a dark chuckle and tilted his head. "Isn't this a sight? Who'd have ever thought that my little angel would find her way behind bars?"

"I'm not your angel," Tenshi spat immediately, even unaware of the curious eyes being drawn to their interaction. Tala's expression darkened in suspicion, while Kai's blood began to boil.

However, it was none other than Hiniku that broke into their sphere. "I would like to point out that she wouldn't be behind bars if you hadn't kidnapped us and put us here for no reason!" she refuted, her hands clenching her captive prison with annoyance.

"A mere technicality, though perhaps a tragic side effect," Spartan quipped, his eyes never leaving Tenshi's. "We needed a chance to analyze these gentleman's blades, and you girls were, as we say, easy bait." Hiniku cried out in outrage, but it was Tenshi's visible bristle that he was aiming for. He smirked. Turning to Kai, Spartan continued, "You aren't exactly the easiest guys to steal from. If fault must be placed, it should be on you." The Shinigamiz captain got close to Kai's face, watching as Kai's biceps clenched and unclenched.

"Why do you say that?" Kai questioned unflinchingly with narrowed eyes. "Can't take responsibility for your own actions?"

"No, rather Hiniku and Tenshi were just stepping stones to a much bigger prize: you and Tala."

"Enough!"

Following her outburst, almost everyone turned to look at Tenshi, her shoulders shaking mildly in anger. But even as Spartan moved back towards her, Kai's spiteful crimson glare remained focused still on his back. Tenshi trained a similar look at Spartan's face. "Enough with the crap, Spartan," she proceeded with danger in her words, "Give us back our blades and let us out of here."

"So rude! And I thought we were friends."

"We were before you decided to play dead and turn to the dark side," Tenshi growled, her fists held tight at her sides, as if resisting the urge to punch him through the bars. "So let's just skip all the formalities and get to the part where you return what's ours and I don't pummel you."

It seemed as though, oddly enough, that this brought some sort of satisfaction to him, because Spartan then gestured for his goons to hither. "You want your blade, Angel?" he said with a sneer, "Then let's go." The sentinels unlocked the cell and drew open the door, only to collect Tenshi in their twinning meaty hands. She protested as metal was clasped and locked around her wrists.

"What the heck?" Tenshi gnarred, glancing from the handcuffs at her wrists to Spartan's sadistic face. He shrugged.

"I'm not stupid. I know those fists of yours are as deadly as your words," he said as way of explanation. "But now that you are properly secured, let's go get your blade."

"What about them?" Tenshi persisted, digging in her heels when the towering sentinels tried to usher her forward. "I'm not leaving them!"

"Yeah, what about us? What about our blades?" Hiniku protested, face against her cell bars with clenched hands. She looked frantically between the guards, Tenshi's shackles, and Spartan. The last of those waved her away.

"Alas, you all must wait here. We'll come for you… eventually."

And despite the remonstration Tenshi displayed, she was quickly carried off as Spartan strode back up the cold stone stairs. In her fight, she looked back to her fellow captives. Hiniku's expression showed anxiety and concern. Tala's bore signs of infuriation and distrust. And then briefly her gaze met with Kai's, locked. His jaw was clenched tight, fists slammed against the metal that held him back. Anger was there, but a smidge of something else that Tenshi could not put a finger too. She shut her trap tight and tried to give him a subtle, imperceptible nod of assurance. A nod, a message: "Trust me," it said. And just as he was able to return the gesture, she was out of sight.

Silence fell upon the prison as their heavy steps echoed farther and farther away. It was the clanging reverberation of metal that broke it. Hiniku looked over to find that Kai had slammed his hand against his bars. Tension was bred all over his face as he paced away from the door. "We've got to get out of here," he mumbled, breathing deep as he moved to look better at the locks.

"I say we get out of here, get our blades, and leave these little girls behind."

Tala, silent and watchful through the whole previous exchange, now voiced his opinion. He leaned lazily against his cell, uncaring as Hiniku's jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding me?" she yelled at him. "You're just going to leave us here?"

And yet, when he turned to look at her, it was betrayal that she could see in his icicle eyes. "Clearly you two are most likely in cohorts with these guys. Why not leave you?"

"You're nuts!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "You really think we would be working with whackjobs like the Shinigamiz? Like BioVolt?"

"Well, you all seem to be very well acquainted."

"They're not working for or with them, Tala," Kai interjected. If Tala's gaze was physically capable of cutting through stone, that would have been the most opportune time. His eyes were sharp as he reacted to his teammate's words.

"How do you know that Kai? Or are you with them as well?"

"Tala."

"For all I know, you could easily have gone back to BioVolt. After all, you were always the favorite here—"

"You're being paranoid!"

"And considering everything they put us through in the past, why aren't you?"

"Because I trust her! I trust Tenshi."

Another silence befell the cavernous dungeon. Tala could hardly believe his ears, and Kai could hardly believe his mouth. Trust: a concept so foreign to the two of them. It seemed so impossible, so alien to bestow on someone so recently introduced into their lives. Kai knew it took him longer to even trust his previous teammates, the BladeBreakers.

"You trust her?" Tala questioned, doubtful eyes honed in on the wall that separated him from his teammate.

"Yes." And as bizarre it all sounded, Kai knew he meant it. Tenshi had been nothing but straight forward with him, despite her revelation that she was distantly related to BioVolt's newest team that was attempting to worm into the BBA. Coupled with the background she'd leaked to him about her own past, Kai was still confident in this decision. "I trust her. She's not one of them, and neither is her team."

A muteness fell upon them again. Tala was completely focused on absorbing this information when there was a small click to his left and the squeak of aged iron. Slowly looking, he found Hiniku pushing open her cell with a successful glee on her face. His face contorted with confusion, until he saw her pluck bobby pins out of the cell lock. She smirked at him. "Never leave home without them!" Hiniku said before making her way over to Kai's cell. "I've always got a couple on me for my hair," she proceeded as she set to work on the new lock, "and Sakura taught me how to pick a lock with them a couple years ago after I forgot my house keys." A minute passed before the lock jiffied open with a satisfying click.

"A couple years ago?" Tala repeated with wary eyes. Hiniku chuckled briefly.

"Let's just say between the two of us, we've had lots of opportunities to practice since then," she answered. The lock undone, the door opened, Kai stepped out of his cell. Then Hiniku moved to stand before Tala's cell, looking him dead in the eyes. Her arms crossed her chest.

"Well?" Tala gazed back at her, impatient. "Aren't you going to do my lock?"

"Why should I? I thought you were just going to leave me behind if you got out? That I was on the same side as the nutterbutters that put us here?" she queried with a tilt of her head, highlighted hair spilling over her shoulder. Her dark eyes peered at him with judgment.

Tala glanced from her, to Kai's uncaring and impatient gaze. "You going to help me out or not, Kai?"

"I'm not getting involved in this," was Tala's reply from him. "You were the one who declared everyone around you a Benedict Arnold." Kai paced away and over to the steps, glancing furtively up. "But hurry it up before someone comes back to check."

Hiniku nodded to him and then looked back at Tala with narrow and accusatory eyes. The gingered Russian rolled his eyes and sighed with exasperation. "What do you want from me?" he asked, caving to peer pressure from his allies. Her lips lifted in one corner.

"An apology," she answered without missing a beat.

Tala stood up straight, peering down at the much shorter young lady with rebellion in his eyes. Alas, Hiniku gazed back with just as much defiance. It was like a match-off of impudence. And if the moment were not so tense, she probably would have slapped herself for thinking that—despite their protest—Tala had beautiful eyes. Considering the current situation, however, the thought was just in passing and quickly swept under the rug of her subconscious. And perhaps Tala had a similar moment, but he shoved it away maybe even more quickly. So between that and Kai's impatient glances, Tala growled again.

"Fine," he conceded with much reluctance. "Hiniku, I'm…" Tala's voice trailed, the words stuck in his stubborn throat. She lifted a curious brow.

"Yes?" she prompted in encouragement. It almost caused him to revolt again, but Tala bit down his tongue and pride.

"I'm sorry."

"For?"

Had it been anyone else in that moment, Tala would have dropped all pretenses. But instead, he pushed through, saying, "For falsely accusing you." And certainly, this must have been a moment for personal revelations, because in that moment, he meant it. While he acknowledged that Hiniku had done him no wrong, it was certainly a different feeling to admit to that. And it seemed to be enough. Because she broke into a smile, warm and genuine.

"See? Now that wasn't so hard!" With just that, she set off quickly on the lock to his cell, forcing it to click open within just a minute of work. "And there we go!" she chirped with a happy smile. And Tala just stared at her in disbelief. How was it that an apology was all that was needed? That was all Hiniku seemed to need before grinning again, like nothing was even wrong. Like he'd done no wrong. Apparently he'd been staring, because Kai was then coughing to get his attention, and Hiniku was staring back at him with confusion on her face.

"I'd hate to break up this charming make-up session, but we need to move," Kai reminded them, a stern look on his face, his gait stiff. "We've got to get our blades and find where they took Tenshi."

"Why not get Tenshi first?" Hiniku asked, frowning a bit at the young man's chosen order of business.

"Because he trusts her," Tala repeated, as if testing the words again out loud, seeing if they were real. True to form, Kai nodded, albeit still grim.

"Tenshi can keep Spartan distracted long enough for us to find our blades. She'll be okay."

The look on Hiniku's face said that, while she agreed, she did not like the sound of that at all. And if Kai were to be honest with his gut, neither did he. But he could deal with that later. They had to find their beyblades, then get Tenshi so they could get out of BioVolt's latest prison. And that determination must have showed on his face, because Hiniku's shoulders straightened and she nodded.

"All right. Let us commence Operation Liberation!"

**MY**

Tenshi had no idea where she was, but she was certain that she was not being taken to get her beyblade. Hall after hall, they traveled. Every time she tried to question Spartan, or even sneak a snide remark in, she was returned with Spartan's silence and the goon's tightening grasps. Needless to say, even Tenshi knew when to quit it and shut it.

Stone walls surrounded their every step—continuous, never-ending. The grey of each block was dark and stormy, and despite the efficient lights overhead, Tenshi could not help but feel like she was in a cavern. And what was perhaps even more perturbing was the utter silence that surrounded them. Yes, their footsteps fell upon the hard floors, but despite passing room after room, not a single voice passed through any door. The silence was deafening and made her even more conscious of every thud, squeak, and thump their feet made.

After several turns, eventually Spartan stopped at a room. Pulling out a set of keys from his pocket, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. "You can go now, gentlemen," he ordered subtly to the sentinels at Tenshi's sides. She was shoved into the room behind Spartan, the door closed heavily behind her. And Tenshi nearly fell to her knees, but she managed to remain upright. Scrupulous eyes scanned the new room. It was surprisingly lush, carpeted with several comfortable chairs perched in it. But that was not what held her attention. It was the large and expansive window that the chairs faced that caught her. Unable to believe her eyes, Tenshi was not even aware that her feet carried her closer to it. Her manacled hands reached up and touched the glass, chocolate gaze peering to the scene below.

This was not just a room. It was a like the box seats of an arena. The glass overlooked a training room. Several dishes were aligned about the room, bladers at every single one of them. It would have appeared to be just another massive training facility, if not for the dozens of BioVolt sentry posted and waiting. Right and left, losers from the dishes were being carted off, the young bladers screaming, pleading not to go, to be granted mercy.

"Like what you see?" Spartan asked, his voice eerily close to her ear. Tenshi stumbled away, facing him with a fixed glare.

"What are you doing to them?" she demanded, planting her feet and staring him down. Tenshi was not going to allow herself to be distracted enough to lose sight of him again. She trusted her friend Spartan; this person was not him. The courtesy did not extend.

The Spartan before her brushed away her question, figuratively and literally with a wave of his hand. "Minor detail. We cannot afford to have losers here at BioVolt. Only the strongest will prevail," he diverted, leaning back casually against one of the chairs, his eyes never leaving her face. A smirk slithered across his lips. "Aren't you proud of me, Angel? I've prevailed here."

"No." Tenshi was disgusted. The more she stood there and talked with the guy, the more her stomach riled and reared up. Where was her best friend? The guy who had been there for her through thick and thin, through every sleepless night? The guy who was like a brother to her, a family after she thought she'd lost it all? And yet, the person before her had his voice, his face. He used Spartan's mannerisms, the gleam in his eyes. Everything was such a contradictory, Tenshi could not be sure how long she could take this conversation. "What do you want?" she spat, tired of Spartan's attempt at small-talk.

He scoffed. "Tsk, your temper has not changed at all, nor has your impatience," Spartan teased. Crossing his arms across his chest, a willowy leg bent to press against the chair he leaned against, he measured her heavy stare. Nothing took away the sneer on his lips. And Tenshi knew she was not going to like what was coming out of his mouth next. She also did not expect it.

"Join us, Tenshi."

That was enough to stun her, and Tenshi was sure it showed on her features. "Excuse me, what?"

"Join us. Join BioVolt," Spartan reiterated. He stood to his full stature, gesturing with his arms. "You could be one of us. You're strong enough—it's not even my bias. The head of BioVolt agrees. You could wield the darkness just as we do." Reaching into his pocket, Spartan pulled out a black beyblade, gleaming in the sterile lights, it's secondary attack ring gleaming white. Placing it on a table, he gestured to it, saying, "This could be all yours."

Tenshi eyed the blade set down before her, and it took her a moment to register everything that the blade was. And when it did sink in, she almost found herself speechless. "This is an exact replica of my blade! Only—"

"Only dark. Meet Black Mangetsu."

Only dark. Black Mangetsu. Spartan said the words as if this were a good thing, as if darkness was the appropriate choice to command. "That's not my blade. That's not my Mangetsu." The words emitted from her lips were whispered, ushered forth by the mere suggestion that she would choose to command such a blade. Mangetsu was the light, literally and figuratively. And never would Tenshi betray the bit-beast and blade that always been by her side.

"But it could be. You could be even stronger than you'd even imagined. Forget Mangetsu. Why use that when you could command it's better, stronger half?"

Appalled, Tenshi balked at him, fury in her eyes, anger on her lips. But they remained frozen there as the following words escaped Spartan's toothy leer.

"Just like I command the better, stronger half of Kai's blade."

Her eyes grew wide as the realization sank in. "No way… You…?"

"Yes, Black Dranzer is mine."

** HEART**


End file.
